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Pictured: Kara Termulo, MD 2022 student, beams with excitement next to Dean Jerris Hedges after receiving her white coat. Deborah Manog Dimaya photo.
In 1993, the Medical School Hotline was founded by Satoru Izutsu PhD (former vice-dean UH JABSOM), it is a monthly column from the University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) and is edited by Kathleen Kihmm Connolly PhD; HJMPH Contributing Editor.
By Dr. Damon Sakai, JABSOM Associate Professor of Medicine
In the last fifteen years it has been getting more competitive for students to pursue a degree in medicine. Nationwide, between 2002 and 2017, the number of medical school applicants has increased by more than 50%. However, the number of applicants who matriculated has increased only by around 30%.
In 2016, JABSOM received 2,231 student applications for one of the 70 position in the class scheduled to begin in July 2017. This is a 27% increase in applications within the last five years, whereas the number of spots available had increased only 6% from 66 in 2016. Consequently, to get into medical school successful candidates must accumulate achievements that go beyond good grades. It’s not surprising that receiving a letter of acceptance is life changing and accompanied by great joy, elation, relief, gratitude, and a feeling of accomplishment.
Letters of acceptance are sent to successful candidates at JABSOM in the spring. Their stories about receiving their letters vary, but share in common an unbridled enthusiasm for what lay ahead. These new students provide a unique insight into the sacrifices they and their family made to fulfill this dream.
The following comments were collected from students at the start of their medical school training in 2012.
When I received my acceptance email from JABSOM I had to read it three times just to be sure they didn’t make a mistake or that I hadn’t read it wrong. I ran upstairs to tell my fiancé that I got into medical school. We both jumped up and down and screamed like little girls. It was one of the greatest moments of my life.
Finally, lunch time,” I said to myself. After spending five hours purifying a synthetic natural product that I thought would one day boost my medical school application, I was ready to put my research behind and walk out of the lab to enjoy my vegetarian instant noodles. While waiting for my noodles to heat up, I checked my email and was surprised to find my acceptance letter from JABSOM. I jumped off my chair, ran through the hallway, and banged on my professor’s door. “Yes!” I said to him repeatedly as I gave him a huge hug. I was so happy! I started making phone calls to tell my family. I am finally on my way to become a doctor and can one day take care of my grandmother! I returned to my seat only to realize that 45 minutes had passed since I left the room. “Oh, no… I guess this is my day to learn to eat like a doctor in training,” I said to myself after I saw my burnt noodles.
I received an email from the admissions committee entitled “UH JABSOM Acceptance Letter Form”. I tried to calm myself and not draw any rash conclusions. It took me a few minutes to gather up the courage to open the email, and when I saw the first word, “Congratulations!” come up on the computer screen, a wave of relief and excitement washed over me. Simply reminiscing about this moment has given me chills. It is something I will never forget.
I called my mom right away and told her the news. She was in Ross at the time and started crying. I heard someone in the background asking her if she was ok since she kept saying “Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God.”
I was SO happy. I screamed at my roommate “HUG ME, I GOT INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL!!!” Unfortunately, she didn’t hear what I had said. She just saw me running at full speed, jumping, and knocking her over.
I thought of all the hard work and perseverance especially through the tough times. Most of all, I am thankful to God and to my mom, dad, family, friends, mentors, and colleagues for their never-ending love and support. I am finally living my dream and on my way to becoming a physician.
I was just overwhelmed with happiness. No words can describe the emotions I felt that day. Receiving my acceptance letter justified all the hours of studying at 3:00am and tears of frustration towards achieving this goal. I’m so fortunate and appreciative. I’m looking forward to growing personally and academically as I strive to earn a medical degree.
When I realized what it was I immediately broke down crying tears of joy. I had put in so much hard work to get to this point, and I was incredibly proud of myself and what I had accomplished.
I remember being in disbelief, elated, thankful, and scared all at the same time. I kept wondering if I was dreaming, even as my coworkers started jumping up and down. It’s crazy how one email can change the rest of your life.
I found out I was accepted into medical school through the sprinting, hand-waving, and panting of my boyfriend. He was in charge of checking my email when I was in class to watch out for the anticipated letter of notification. After walking out of my biochemistry class, I saw him sprinting from afar, screaming something inaudible. I thought there was something terribly wrong!! When we finally got close enough he exclaimed that I NEEDED TO CHECK MY EMAIL NOW. I quickly grabbed my blackberry, opened the said email and read the first word: Congratulations! I instantly smiled. It was all worth it!
When I got home, my father asked me to check my e-mail. I read “Welcome to JABSOM!” It was the outcome I had been hoping and praying for. I was so grateful and humbled that my prayers had been answered. I couldn’t do anything except bow my head down in gratitude to God. I was overwhelmed … in a fantastic way! I was elated. The best part of it all though was receiving the news from my father – the person who was happier for me than anyone ever could be.
My road to acceptance was a long one. I applied previously to JABSOM three times over the course of five years. I was rejected twice and wait-listed the previous year. It was my fourth attempt and I had been nervously awaiting news since finishing interviews. I checked my e-mail and saw the words “UH JABSOM ACCEPTA…” I thought to myself, “What’s an “ACCEPTA?” I opened the email and read, “Congratulations!” I started to tear up uncontrollably. My dad was sitting on the couch. I held my phone up to him and whispered “I think I got into medical school.” As he read he started crying. I ran out to the balcony to call my mom. I proceeded to scroll through my phone book to see who else I should call. There were so many people who had been there all those years supporting me, cheering me on and nervously waiting with me. Before each call I would read the email again making sure it hadn’t changed. Each person responded with such overwhelming excitement, joy, and pride. It wasn’t till I was accepted that I appreciated the emotional investment they all had in my success. I hadn’t been the only one striving toward this goal…We all got into medical school.
Of the 2,231 JABSOM applicants for spots in the 2017-2018 academic year 10.5% were Hawaiʻi residents, as were 78.6% (55) of all that matriculated. Overall, the state of Hawaiʻi had 90 students that matriculated into a medical school programs. The JABSOM distribution of females were 47.6% of all applications, with the total entering classes of 52.9%m (37).2 This follows the national trend whereby the ratio of female matriculates has grown by 9.6% in the last three years, with 50.7% total females entering medical school in 2017.
Ethnicities represented included Japanese, Chinese, Mixed Asian, White, Filipino, Korean, Native Hawaiian, Vietnamese, Asian Indian, African American, and Taiwanese. The mean age of the class was 24. The average undergraduate grade point of the entering class was 3.74. Of the 55 students that attended high school in Hawaiʻi, approximately 60% graduated from private schools. The most frequent undergraduate institution attended by the entering class was the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, but the student body came from schools across the nation.
Following graduation, these students entered fields such as family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, neurology, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedic surgery, radiology, emergency medicine, and anesthesiology. Besides matching with University of Hawaiʻi residency programs, students from this class are currently doing their residency training at institutions such as Stanford University, Harvard University, Yale University, University of California Los Angeles, and University of California San Francisco. Throughout this journey, these students carry with them lasting memories of the event that started their medical career—receiving a letter of acceptance from JABSOM.
Author’s Affiliation: John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai‘i, Honolulu, HI.
References
1. More Women Than Men Enrolled in U.S. Medical Schools in 2017. AAMCNEWS. Association of American Medical Colleges Website. https://news.aamc.org/press-releases/article/applicantenrollment-2017/. Published December 18, 2017. Accessed September 19, 2018.
2. Applicants and Matriculants Data. Association of American Medical Colleges Website. https:// www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/. Accessed September 20, 2018.
This article was originally published in the Hawaiʻi Journal of Medicine and Public Health.
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