From Good to Great: 6 Attributes of Great Medical Schools

It’s all about relationships—student-student, student-community, student-professor, and most importantly—doctor-patient. Medical schools that teach students how to navigate these relationships with compassion, empathy, and kindness, in addition to teaching the hard sciences of medicine, will serve their students—and their students’ prospective patients with the necessary grace and clinical competency that the field requires. A good medical school will do what all medical schools should do: prepare their students for treating patients. A great one will encourage the positive relationships necessary for treating patients in a global world. First piece of advice? Talk to the students.

According to medical students, a great medical school will:

1. Consider Ranking

Let’s face it: those rankings mean something to us. The highest ranked medical schools spend the most money on research, have significant publications by faculty, are highly selective in admissions, and have unquantifiable amounts of prestige. Graduating from a highly ranked, selective medical school with reputation and prestige can open doors for students. But, it doesn’t mean that a doctor from a highly ranked school is better than a doctor who went to a school that didn’t rank as highly. It does mean that a doctor who attended a highly ranked school can benefit from the school’s reputation. To be fair: there’s a difference between the #1 spot and the #100 spot. How much of a difference is there, really, between #20 and #30, though?

2. Focus on Students' Well-Being

All medical students need to take similar academic classes because they all need to take the same assessment exams for licensure. A great medical school, according to students, will allow students flexibility to pursue creative endeavors, research interests, community projects, and electives. Are students happy and excited to talk about their school? How are students learning to be better doctors—and better people?

3. Balance Research and Teaching

The highest ranked medical schools devote vast sums of money to medical research. While this is valuable and necessary for a healthy society, amazing research doesn’t always equal amazing teaching. Excellence in teaching is a critical factor for a great medical school. Professors who are engaged in the art of teaching yield students who blossom into compassionate physicians. Are professors involved in student groups? Do they hold office hours and study groups? Do professors serve as mentors for medical students?

4. Respect Its Students

Any professor at a medical school should be able to tell you about the students in the class. Professors should not just know their students’ names; they should know a bit about them and who they are[G3] . Students should be able to tell you about their professors; their interests, their research, their contributions to the school—and their contributions to the classroom. Do students use the phrases “my school” or “our school?” Do professors regard students as collaborators? How involved are medical students in the health clinic? Is there a vibrant student community? Does the culture of the school focus on test scores or clinical know-how?

5. Encourage Community Involvement
Students at great medical schools study hard and give back to their communities. After all, everyone in a community needs medical care at some point in their lives. Does the school focus on the “social mission” of medicine, to serve underserved populations in high needs areas? Does the school make a difference in its community? Do students participate in local service projects? Do students volunteer at the student health center? Do students compete or collaborate?

6. Balance Quality and Price: Consider Value

With medical school costs skyrocketing, over 85% of medical students graduate with debt of at least $160,000. Add interest rates on student loans, and many students opt to practice in specialty fields that pay more so that they can pay down their debt. The result? Students who may want to go into high-needs, lower-paid medical fields, like pediatrics and primary care feel pushed to concentrate in a higher paying specialties. Students need to consider the amount of debt they’re willing to accumulate and balance that with their professional and family goals.

Learn more about medical schools.