Proposal for medical admission by interview and essay

There are currently 27 medical schools nationwide, the main admission method is based on high school graduation exam scores, commonly in a combination of three subjects: Math, Chemistry, Biology (B00) or Math, Physics, Chemistry (A00).

Admission scores for Medicine are always among the highest in the country. Last year, the Medicine majors of major training institutions had admission scores ranging from 26.45 to 28.15 in the traditional B00 group. The highest was at Hanoi Medical University.

The former head of a large medical university in the South said that he had conducted a survey and found that students with high entrance scores did not necessarily study well. The reason was that the three-subject exam scores did not fully reflect a candidate's qualifications, qualities, and suitability for the medical profession.

Similarly, Dr. Dam Quang Minh, an education expert, said that scores only partially assess a candidate’s ability and talent. Some lecturers at medical schools have shared with him that many students have dropped out of school, were under a lot of stress after moving on to the hospital internship phase, or studied for 5-6 years before realizing they were not suitable.

The reason is that many students register for medical school with the thought that this is a prestigious school, high scores are needed to get in, if the exam score is high then they should not choose a major with low admission scores. After 5-6 years of study, it is too late to change and the price to pay if changing careers at this time is too high. Students accept to study and work in a half-hearted way.

"A doctor with a score of 28 but not passionate about the profession will have less ability to contribute and serve patients than a doctor with a score of 26," said Mr. Minh. According to him, admission based only on scores is unscientific and in the end, society and patients will suffer the consequences.

These two people believe that the medical industry needs to change its admission methods, reducing dependence on scores by considering this as only a preliminary selection factor.

Professor Dang Van Phuoc, Chairman of the Council of Medical Professors and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Ho Chi Minh City National University, believes that the medical profession cannot continue to select students based on scores in a few subjects. Medical admissions should include an interview round after the preliminary selection based on scores.

According to him, schools can pre-screen based on graduation exam scores, academic records, or competency assessment scores. Candidates will then be interviewed by a panel of doctors, psychologists, and lecturers about their social knowledge, human service perspective, ethics, and other qualities to see if they are suitable for the medical field. In addition, medical applications should require candidates to have an essay explaining their reasons, passions, and orientations for choosing this field.

Mr. Phuoc said that after more than 50 years in the profession, he realized that without passion, it would be very difficult to develop and overcome hardships to stick with the profession.

"Without passion, doctors will quickly get bored with their profession, work half-heartedly and easily go down the wrong path. But passion and ethics are not completely reflected in scores," Professor Dang Van Phuoc shared.

This is also the enrollment direction proposed by Dr. Dam Quang Minh and Dr. Le Viet Khuyen, Vice Presidents of the Association of Vietnamese Universities and Colleges.

"A candidate's total high school graduation exam score for medical school can be high, but if his Biology score is low and his Math score is sky-high, it will not meet the enrollment target of health-related majors," Mr. Khuyen explained why medical schools should only use the results of this exam for preliminary selection.

Mr. Khuyen then proposed that schools organize a common exam. This part could include Biology - a core subject of the medical profession - or an oral exam, which is a selective form applied by many famous schools in the world.

"Previously, I studied at Lomonosov University in Russia. After the preliminary round, candidates had to take a written test. After the written test, candidates continued with the oral test. If they did not pass the next rounds, they returned to apply to local universities. That is the way to choose real talent," Mr. Khuyen said.

In the context that medical and pharmaceutical schools still recruit students based on the combined exam scores of three subjects, Professor Dang Van Phuoc believes that it should be Math, Chemistry, and Biology. He respects but does not agree with the opinions encouraging the inclusion of Literature in the admissions combination because doctors also need to persuade, sympathize, and share with patients.

"Doctors must convince patients with scientific basis and medical knowledge, not with sweet, empty words," said Professor Phuoc, recognizing that a person who is good at Math, Chemistry, and Biology has a good ability in Literature, enough to write, present, and communicate completely, even coherently and logically.

Furthermore, the medical field has a 6-year training period. During the training and practice at the hospital, students will be instructed by teachers and senior colleagues, practicing medical ethics, sharing skills, and understanding the psychology of patients. They will also learn how to write theses and medical records, so these skills can be supplemented during the learning process.

Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Huu Tu, Principal of Hanoi Medical University, hopes that medical and pharmaceutical schools will use a common admission tool by unifying the exam subject combinations and ordering some units to organize exams to assess capacity and thinking. Candidates only need to take the exam once but can use the results to apply to many schools.

"This has the ability to filter out fakes, ensure quality and reduce waste," said Mr. Tu, who commented that the graduation exam no longer meets the admission target of the medical industry, especially for highly competitive majors such as Medicine and Dentistry. Moreover, from 2025, the Ministry of Education and Training will no longer organize graduation exams as it does now, so medical and pharmaceutical schools need to urgently prepare suitable admission methods.

According to VnExpress