There are so many things that make WMed a special place – innovative learning, state-of-the art facilities, patient-centered primary care and specialty services, and in-depth clinical training for our residents and students, just to name a few.
Now, all of those things have been captured in a new video offering the medical school community and others a fresh and full virtual tour of all that the medical school has to offer.
The production of the new video comes at a time when WMed has joined other institutions from across the country in a quick pivot to the virtual recruitment of students and resident physicians in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Student interviews that were conducted on-campus in past years are going virtual this year, as recommended by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). At WMed, that has meant leaders are conducting phone interviews and then inviting select candidates to a virtual interview that includes informational sessions, as well as a traditional one-on-one interview.
“We’ve really had to shift everything,” said Jean Shelton, the medical school’s assistant dean for Admissions and Student Life. “We’re still focused on recruiting students who not only have the academic metrics but the personal attributes and the premedical experiences that add and grow to the diversity and warmth of our community. However, we’ve had to cancel all of our fall recruitment events on and off campus.”
Meanwhile, leaders from the medical school’s 10 residency programs have explored innovative ways to evaluate applicants remotely while still providing a way for those applicants to get a good feel for the different programs.
Interviews are being conducted via video and residency program leaders have developed a variety of presentations for applicants, including video tours.
“We’re trying to reproduce our traditional interview process as closely as we possibly can in a virtual way,” said Dr. David Overton, associate dean for Graduate Medical Education and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine.