Cross Sectional Study Mcat

Nguemeni Tiako MJ, Johnson S, Muhammad M, Osman NY, Solomon SR. Nguemeni Tiako MJ, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Nov 1;5(11):e2240817. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.40817. JAMA Netw Open. 2022. PMID: 36367730 Free PMC article.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Barriers Faced by Medical College Admission Test Examinees and Their Association With Medical School Application and Matriculation

Importance: There has been disappointing progress in enrollment of medical students from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in medicine, including American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic students. Barriers that may influence students interested in medicine are understudied.

Objective: To examine racial and ethnic differences in barriers faced by students taking the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

Design, setting, and participants: This cross-sectional study used survey data (surveys administered between January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2018) from MCAT examinees linked with application and matriculation data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Data analyses were performed from November 1, 2021, to January 31, 2023.

Main variables and outcomes: Main outcomes were medical school application and matriculation. Key independent variables reflected parental educational level, financial and educational barriers, extracurricular opportunities, and interpersonal discrimination.

Results: The sample included 81 755 MCAT examinees (0.3% American Indian or Alaska Native, 21.3% Asian, 10.1% Black, 8.0% Hispanic, and 60.4% White; 56.9% female). There were racial and ethnic differences in reported barriers. For example, after adjustment for demographic characteristics and examination year, 39.0% (95% CI, 32.3%-45.8%) of American Indian or Alaska Native examinees, 35.1% (95% CI, 34.0%-36.2%) of Black examinees, and 46.6% (95% CI, 45.4%-47.9%) of Hispanic examinees reported having no parent with a college degree compared with 20.4% (95% CI, 20.0%-20.8%) of White examinees. After adjustment for demographic characteristics and examination year, Black examinees (77.8%; 95% CI, 76.9%-78.7%) and Hispanic examinees (71.3%; 95% CI, 70.2%-72.4%) were less likely than White examinees (80.2%; 95% CI, 79.8%-80.5%) to apply to medical school. Black examinees (40.6%; 95% CI, 39.5%-41.7%) and Hispanic examinees (40.2%; 95% CI, 39.0%-41.4%) were also less likely than White examinees (45.0%; 95% CI, 44.6%-45.5%) to matriculate at medical school. Examined barriers were associated with a lower likelihood of medical school application and matriculation (eg, examinees having no parent with a college degree had lower odds of applying [odds ratio, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.61-0.69] and matriculating [odds ratio, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.59-0.66]). Black-White and Hispanic-White disparities in application and matriculation were largely accounted for by differences in these barriers.

Conclusions and relevance: In this cross-sectional study of MCAT examinees, American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic students reported lower parental educational levels, greater educational and financial barriers, and greater discouragement from prehealth advisers than White students. These barriers may deter groups underrepresented in medicine from applying to and matriculating at medical school.

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Faiz was supported by the Veterans Affairs Office of Academic Affiliations through the National Clinician Scholars Program. No other disclosures were reported.

Aysola J, Ibrahim S. Aysola J, et al. JAMA Health Forum. 2023 Apr 7;4(4):e230251. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.0251. JAMA Health Forum. 2023. PMID: 37058296 No abstract available.

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   Experimental Design for the MCAT: Everything You Need to Know

   What you need to know to ace experimental design questions on the MCAT Psych/Soc section

   

   (Note: This guide is part of our MCAT Psychology and Sociology series. )

   Part 1: Introduction to experimental design

   Part 2: Study design

   Part 3: Observational studies

   Part 4: Experimental studies

   Part 5: Experimental design passage-based questions and answers

   Part 6: Standalone questions and answers

   Part 1: Introduction to experimental design

   Experimental design describes the manner in which a controlled experimental factor is subjected to a specific treatment in order to be compared with the factor that is kept constant. It is a systematic and efficient method that enables people to study the relationship between multiple factors and key responses via data collection, which eventually leads to new discoveries.

   There are numerous modes of experimental design with different purposes, and it is important to understand these key differences for the MCAT exam. There are observational studies, experimental studies, and numerous ways in which studies can be designed. We will describe the major differences and aspects of each type of experimental design that you need to know.
   For the MCAT, it will also be important to understand aspects of experimental design that may pose issues in validating the results of a study, such as confounding variables and different forms of bias. We’ll provide definitions of some commonly encountered forms of confounds and bias, but this list is not exhaustive.

   At the end of this guide, you will also find a practice passage and standalone questions to practice applying this information to AAMC-style practice questions. Let’s get started!