The Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Society spring ‘junior’ election will be held in early April. Below you can find some information about the chapter and the nomination and election processes. Please be sure to review it carefully and there are several action items towards the bottom of the message.
What is AOA?
AOA is a national medical honor society that recognizes commitment to academic achievement, scholarship/research, leadership, professionalism, and service. There are 120+ chapters around the country and each year, around 3,000 students, alumni, house staff, and faculty are elected into the society. You can learn more about the organization on the national AOA website or on the UW Chapter of AOA website.
Eligibility and Process
Per national AOA’s constitution, eligible students should be in the top 25% of the class. In light of the research and data that showed there are racial/ethnic disparities in clinical grading in medical school, the chapter felt that it was important to acknowledge this disadvantage and adjust its’ eligibility parameters to help mitigate these biases. Therefore, in addition to the top 25% of the class, the UW chapter has decided to also include the top 25% of all self-reported racial/ethnicity categories.
In addition to academic information, the UW chapter considers the following when selecting new members:
- Nominations from: peers, college mentors, Patient Care clerkship directors, and the MD/PhD program
- Service, activities, and involvement
- Research and publications
- Lived experiences statement
Up to 20% of the rising MS4 class may be selected for membership, and the selection process is done by the current AOA chapter members – NOT by the School or Student Affairs. To reduce bias, the election materials are all blinded for chapter review. Name are only revealed after all the votes are in. In order to ensure that chapter members are not exposed to identifying information to chapter members during the application/nomination process, Student Affairs staff collect and compile the data that the chapter requests on their behalf.
The UW chapter hosts two elections – one in the spring (“Junior AOA”) and one in the fall (“Senior AOA”). During the spring election, the current AOA chapter will elect a small group of students will be selected (~7-15 students). These members will then elect the remaining members during the fall election (~40-45 students). Elected students will be contacted within 3 business days of the election, and an announcement will be made to the class after all new members are notified.
Students are considered once for junior AOA and once for senior AOA. Students who are expanding/taking a leave of absence will be considered for junior AOA during the spring that they complete Patient Care phase and are considered for senior AOA during the fall of their final year in medical school. Expanded students are not considered additional times.
Junior AOA Eligibility
In the spring election of MS3 students, eligible students are those who have earned a high percentage of honors and high passes in the required Patient Care clerkships that they have completed to date, and who have not failed any blocks, clerkships, or Step exams. They also must not have been considered for any prior years’ junior AOA elections.
Unfortunately, for the junior election, we are unable to confirm whether an individual student falls within the 25% eligibility pool due to the timing and availability of clerkship grades relative to the date of the election. It is the recommendation of the current chapter members that if you would like to be considered for junior AOA, and have received the following, then you should submit an application:
- For traditional clerkships: 2 or more honors
- For WRITE/LIC clerkships: 1 or more honors
- All URIM students are encouraged to submit applications, irrespective of honors
Application
To be considered for AOA, students must complete the required AOA application by 11:45pm PT on Sunday, March 31. No late submissions will be accepted. Contained within the application are the grade release authorization**, the lived experiences statement, service and activities, and research and publications. Submit your application by Sunday, March 31 at 11:45pm PT via the following application form: https://forms.office.com/r/iWypNxMnVa
**AOA considers student grades/Step information through a blinded election process. When the group reviews grades, your name is not linked to your grades.
Nominations
Nominations are an important, but not required, part of the review process. Nominations are solicited from peers, College mentors, clerkship directors, and the MSTP program director. Faculty have been contacted and invited to submit nominations.
Peer Nominations
The UW chapter invites you to nominate the 1 peer whom you think is worthy of consideration. Good candidates include students who display scholastic achievement, demonstrate utmost professionalism in medicine, are leaders who set an example worth emulating, and who have a record of service in the medical school and community at large. Submit your nominations by Sunday, March 31 at 11:45pm PT via the following nomination form: https://forms.office.com/r/1utzWg4Fsr
Nominations for Residents/Faculty/UWSOM Alumni
Nominations for residents, faculty, and UWSOM alumni members are still being accepted. Good candidates include residents/faculty/alumni who display scholastic achievement, demonstrate utmost professionalism in medicine, are leaders who set an example worth emulating, and who have a record of service in the medical school and community at large. Submit your nominations by Sunday, March 31 at 11:45pm PT via the following nomination form: https://forms.office.com/r/GV0ZkvnwCF
Election Action Items:
Deadlne for all of the above: Sunday, March 31 at 10:45 p.m. AK, 11:45 p.m. PT and 12:45 a.m. MT on April 1 – NO late submissions will be accepted. A final reminder will be sent in the all-school newsletter on March 28. |