Postapplication Advisement for U.S. Medical School Reapplicants: One School's Program.

PROBLEM: Reapplicants make up over one-quarter of U.S. medical school applicants. Postapplication advisement (PAA) can provide potential reapplicants with concrete strategies for improvement, a contextualized basis for their scores, and a realistic idea of their chances for success. However, more data showing the effectiveness of PAA and an analysis of best practices are needed for PAA programs to be more widely adopted. APPROACH: In 2010, the University of New Mexico School of Medicine (UNM SOM) created a PAA program that involves a postapplication seminar (PAS), mandatory self-assessment and action plan development, and an individual consult with an admissions dean to prepare participants for reapplication. OUTCOMES: From 2010 to 2016, 892 applicants who interviewed and were rejected at UNM SOM were eligible to participate in PAA. Of these, 478 (53.6%) chose to participate in PAA over the seven-year period. Males had a higher participation rate (246/430; 57.2%) compared with females (232/461; 50.3%; P = .04). African Americans had a higher participation rate (12/17; 70.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Natives had a lower participation rate (17/64; 26.6%) than any other race/ethnicity. Of reapplicants who were subsequently accepted, 140/178 (78.7%) attended PAS and a consult, and 7/178 (3.9%) attended PAS only, compared with 31/178 (17.4%) of subsequently accepted reapplicants who did not participate in any PAA (P < .001). NEXT STEPS: Additional research should focus on the best approach for assisting reapplicants with prioritizing areas for improvement in their application. Demographic data may be used to target outreach to specific populations.

Vision 2020 measures University of New Mexico's success by health of its state.

The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (UNMHSC) adopted a new Vision to work with community partners to help New Mexico make more progress in health and health equity than any other state by 2020. UNMHSC recognized it would be more successful in meeting communities' health priorities if it better aligned its own educational, research, and clinical missions with their needs. National measures that compare states on the basis of health determinants and outcomes were adopted in 2013 as part of Vision 2020 target measures for gauging progress toward improved health and health care in New Mexico. The Vision focused the institution's resources on strengthening community capacity and responding to community priorities via pipeline education, workforce development programs, community-driven and community-focused research, and community-based clinical service innovations, such as telehealth and "health extension." Initiatives with the greatest impact often cut across institutional silos in colleges, departments, and programs, yielding measurable community health benefits. Community leaders also facilitated collaboration by enlisting University of New Mexico educational and clinical resources to better respond to their local priorities. Early progress in New Mexico's health outcomes measures and state health ranking is a promising sign of movement toward Vision 2020.