The UW AOA chapter is now accepting nominations and applications for their fall “senior” election. More information about the process and eligibility is below. Please submit your nominations and application by Monday, August 24, 2026 at 10:45 PM AK, 11:45 PM PT, 12:45 AM MT (Tuesday)– NO late submissions will be accepted.
Note: We ask everyone to resubmit their application even if you applied in the Spring. Previously submitted character references do not need to be re-submitted.
AOA Honor Medical Society “Senior” Fall Election – Application & Deadlines
The UW Chapter’s Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Medical Society holds a Fall Election for “Senior Members,” students who are part of the current MS4 class. Below you can find some information about the chapter and the nomination and election processes. Please be sure to review it carefully if this organization is of interest to you.
What is AOA?
AOA is a national medical honor society in which election is based on a commitment to scholarship, leadership, professionalism, and service. There are 123 chapters around the country. Its mission statement is “AOA is dedicated to the belief that in the profession of medicine we will improve care for all by recognizing high educational achievement, honoring gifted teaching, encouraging the development of leaders in academia and the community, supporting the ideals of humanism, and promoting service to others. ” Each year, approximately 3,000 students, alumni, residents, and faculty are elected into the society. You can learn more about the organization on the national AOA website.
What is the process for being elected to AOA?
The UW chapter hosts two elections – one in the spring (“Junior AOA”) and one in the fall (“Senior AOA”). The spring election has already occurred to elect leadership for the current chapter. For this current fall election, we will elect the rest of our chapter.
The UW AOA chapter seeks students from many different backgrounds and experiences who can contribute to the chapter, the UWSOM, and the medical community at large. Students are considered for AOA using a number of criteria:
- Academic performance: Foundations pass/fail status, core clerkship grades, and Step 1 status. Step 2 and Explore & Focus grades are not included. For those who are taking Patient Care clerkships during the pass/fail curricula, this will be noted and the comments will be considered.
- Service, activities, and extracurricular involvement
- Research and publications
- Lived experiences statement
- 1 elicited character reference from a Patient Care clerkship director (including WRITE), the MD/PhD program, college mentor, faculty, resident, peer, or other appropriate individual. They can submit their character reference via this form: Character Reference Submission Form
The selection process is done by the current AOA chapter members. To reduce bias, the election materials are blinded for chapter review. Names 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.
How many people will be elected?
Up to 20% of the rising MS4 class may be selected for membership.
During the spring election, the AOA chapter elects a small group of students (~10-15). The remaining members are elected during the current fall election (~35-45 students).
Who is eligible for consideration?
Students are considered once for junior AOA and once for senior AOA. Please complete the application again for each election. Students who are expanding/taking a leave of absence will be considered for senior AOA during the fall of their final year in medical school. Students who expand are not considered additional times.
In the fall election of MS4 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. For those who are taking Patient Care clerkships during the pass/fail curricula, this will be noted and the comments will be considered. Students may have up to one failure across any academic domain, including threads, themes, blocks, FCM, Step 1, clerkship grades, etc. Shelf exam failures will not be included in the formal inclusion/exclusion criteria.
How can I submit my application in order to be considered by AOA?
To be considered for AOA, students must complete the required AOA Application by by Monday, August 24 at 10:45 PM AK, 11:45 PM PT, 12:45 AM MT (Tuesday) – 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. You DO NOT need to update/add information to a separate service tracker survey for AOA election purposes.
*AOA considers student academic information through a blind election process. When the group reviews candidates, your name is not linked to your application/profile/grades.
How do I know if I am selected for AOA?
Elected students will be contacted by AOA chapter leadership within 3 business days of the election (September 14th), and an announcement will be made in the Thursday all-school newsletter after all new members are notified.
This will occur prior to the ERAS application deadline so that you can include AOA membership in your residency application.
Election Action Items: Due by Monday, August 24 at 10:45 PM AK, 11:45 PM PT, 12:45 AM MT (Tuesday) – NO late submissions will be accepted.