On October 22nd, the associate dean of admissions for Duke University School of Medicine (DukeMed), Dr. Linton Yee, presented information about the application process of DukeMed and what is expected of applicants.
Dr. Yee emphasized the mental requirements DukeMed has for its applicants; they are expected to be compassionate, resilient, critical thinkers, emotionally intelligent, optimistic, etc. DukeMed is looking for students who are future leaders in medicine, committed to caring for others, well-rounded and tolerant. Applicants need to show clinical experience on their application, which can include working in EMS, scribing, working in a crisis center hotline, hospice or hospital and shadowing. Students are also encouraged to take part in research before applying to DukeMed. For the MD/PhD program, applicants typically have amassed at least two years of research.
During the application process, DukeMed is known to have a vast amount of essay questions on their secondary application. These questions can ask about how COVID-19 has affected the applicant, the applicant’s leadership, resilience, critical thinking, advocacy and more.
Furthermore, during the interview process, DukeMed conducts multiple “mini-interviews” instead of the traditional one-on-one interview. This involves the use of multiple “stations” where the applicant is asked about their ethics, morals, teamwork, etc.
All of this information and more can be found on the PowerPoint slides used by Dr. Yee during the meeting. Those slides are attached to this post.
