In this issue:
- ICYMI: Update about Disability Resources for Students (DRS)
- ICYMI: Apply now for the Washington Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Scholars program
- Update about the Matriculating Student Questionnaire (MSQ)
- Tip of the Month: Managing extracurricular activities
ICYMI: Update about Disability Resources for Students (DRS)
A message from Matt Cunningham, PhD, director of Education Evaluation: We are aware that some of you are waiting to have your intake appointment with Disability Resources for Students (DRS) at UW. Because of this wait time, we have been approved to implement the following temporary testing accommodations:
A UWSOM student who can provide evidence of a testing accommodation appointment with upper campus DRS will receive 50% more time for testing plus a reduced distraction environment until they have their meeting with DRS and for two weeks after said meeting, or until DRS makes a determination about your accommodations, whichever comes first.
Learn the details of this important announcement on this website.
ICYMI: Apply now for the Washington Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Scholars
Applications are due by Oct. 15, 2024, to join the Washington AHEC Scholars, a free interprofessional training program that offers graduates a nationally recognized certificate that you can put on your CV.
AHEC Scholars is a two-year education and training program with the goal of supporting a diverse cohort of health professions students with an interest in working with rural and underserved communities. The team will provide you with skills and experiences to better prepare you to serve patients faced with barriers to healthcare access.
Learn much more about the program in this announcement.
Please join the half of the students in your class who have completed the Matriculating Student Questionnaire (MSQ)
Here is a message from the Office of Educational Quality Improvement: Thank you for taking the time to provide your valuable input through the Matriculating Student Questionnaire (MSQ) administered by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC).
Your response rate as a class increased by 4 percentage points from last week; we are grateful to 145 students (52.7%) who have already completed the survey.
For those of you who haven’t completed this 10-minute survey yet, please review the info below and complete it at your earliest convenience.
Here is an overview of the current response rate for the MSQ at UWSOM.
| U Washington | Total | Percent |
| Completed | 145 | 52.7% |
| In Progress | 16 | 5.8% |
| Not Started | 114 | 41.5% |
| Total Eligible | 275 | 100% |
*The overall national completion rate is 54.2%.
How to Access the Survey:
- A reminder to fill out the MSQ was sent by msq@aamc.org on July 20
- The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete.
- The survey will be open through Sept. 15, 2024
If you encounter any issues accessing the survey, please contact msq@aamc.org directly, including your full name and AAMC ID.
For any additional questions, please contact eqi@uw.edu
Thank you so much for your participation!
Peer to Peer: Tip of the Month from Career Advising
Welcome MS1s! Every month, you’ll get a tip in this newsletter to help your career planning stay on track.
You will soon get tons of emails about extracurriculars. This may seem overwhelming during FMR but think big picture about what might interest you career-wise. If you can, try to take on a leadership position for an interest group, a volunteer project, or join a committee. Make sure you don’t overcommit, but picking one or two extracurriculars this year to pour into is a fantastic way to kick off med school!
Pathway applications will also open this fall and can be very helpful in learning how to better serve minoritized and underserved communities. Learn more about Pathways here.
- Reviewed by BIPOC MS4 Abraham Correa-Medina. Originally written by BIPOC alum Shanelle Briggs, MD.
ICYMI: Here’s the previous MS1 newsletter.