Technical Standards for Admission
The technical standards for the HMSOM are based on the essential cognitive, emotional, and physical demands required to succeed in the curriculum, and the ability to perform as a successful physician. The HMSOM recognizes that certain minimum technical standards must be met by candidates for admission and all current students at the HMSOM (hereinafter designated as candidates for the M.D. degree) to provide for safe and effective participation in the medical education program and to uphold the integrity of HMSOM’s curriculum. The curriculum of the HMSOM has been designed to provide a general professional education leading to the MD degree and to prepare undifferentiated students to enter graduate medical training in a wide variety of medical specialties and subspecialties.
All candidates for the M.D. degree should possess sufficient intellectual capacity, physical ability, emotional and psychological stability, interpersonal sensitivity, and communication skills to acquire the scientific knowledge, interpersonal and technical competencies, professional attitudes, and clinical abilities required to pursue any pathway of graduate medical education, and to enter the independent practice of medicine. All candidates should be aware that the academic and clinical responsibilities of medical students may, at times, require their presence during day, evening, and nighttime hours, seven days per week.
Candidates should be able to tolerate physically-taxing workloads and to function effectively under stress. Therefore, achievement of specific technical standards in six core domains (general functions, communication, cognitive ability, observation, motor, behavioral/social attributes) is necessary for admission, progression, and graduation from any clinical program in HMSOM.