Selection 07.05.2014

Selecting for Excellence – 2013 end of year report

This 2013 end-of-year report from the Medical Schools Council’s ‘Selecting for Excellence’ project outlines progress made in improving fairness and widening participation in medical school admissions. It presents data analysis, stakeholder engagement, and recommendations for future work, with a particular focus on socio-economic diversity, selection methods, and outreach.
Key findings
Data analysis
  • Gender: Women now outnumber men among medical students and doctors under 30, but men still dominate the overall workforce. Women are expected to become the majority by 2017.
  • Age: Most applicants are aged 18–19, with few mature applicants. Nursing shows a higher proportion of mature students.
  • Ethnicity: Around 25% of medical students are from minority ethnic backgrounds, but black African, black Caribbean, and Bangladeshi students remain underrepresented.
  • Disability: Students with disabilities are slightly underrepresented in medicine compared to the sector average.
  • Socio-economic background:
    • Private school students are overrepresented in medicine.
    • Applicants tend to come from higher socio-economic groups (NS-SEC 1–2).
    • POLAR3 data shows medicine and dentistry have the lowest participation from low HE areas (4%).
Work streams
  1. Widening participation: Focused on increasing access for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
  2. Role of the doctor: Updating the consensus statement to reflect current expectations and values.
  3. Selection methods: Investigating the validity of different methods, including aptitude tests and MMIs.
  4. Evidence base: Developing the UK Medical Education Database (UKMED) to track student outcomes and evaluate selection methods.
Recommendations for 2014
  • Implement PRACTISE, a national initiative to improve access to medical work experience for disadvantaged students, across NHS Trusts and primary care.
  • Develop consensus statements on work experience and core values.
  • Create a central online resource for applicants.
  • Investigate use of contextual data and selection method validity.
  • Engage with students, teachers, careers advisers, and other healthcare professions.
  • Publish quarterly updates to maintain stakeholder engagement.
Download this report
Selecting for Excellence - 2013 end of year report (PDF)
Download
Further reading
Selection 07.05.2014
Selecting for Excellence Final Report
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