Washington University School of Medicine's unique approach to admissions [Show summary]

Dr. Valerie Ratts, Associate Dean for Admissions at Washington University School of Medicine, explores what’s unique about the medical school’s approach to admissions, including what COVID-related changes applicants can expect this year.

Interview with Dr. Valerie Ratts, Associate Dean for Admissions at Washington University School of Medicine [Show notes]

Dr. Valerie Ratts earned her MD at Johns Hopkins, where she also did her residency in obstetrics and gynecology and a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology. She joined the Washington University faculty in 1994 and is currently Associate Dean for Admissions, as well as a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Can you give an overview of Washington University School of Medicine's program, focusing on its more distinctive elements? [1:37]

Washington University School of Medicine is an amazing medical school. The thing that I'm the most proud about right now is that we are about to implement a new curriculum, an innovative curriculum, called the Gateway Curriculum. We're looking at how to educate in medicine a little bit differently. We are going to educate our students while thinking very carefully about what their passion and pathway will be in medicine. We will be working to enhance their exposure to the areas of academic medicine that we think are very important for physicians. That includes research, medical education, advocacy, inquiry, and  innovation. The other thing about WashU that we think is particularly important, besides our science, is that this is a place where we pride ourselves on creating a culture that is incredibly supportive for our students, a culture of collegiality and collaboration.

Academic medicine implies that the graduates are going to become professors or continue doing research. Is that a focus, or do you see your grads going into primary care? [2:56]

That's part of the new curriculum, recognizing that physicians go into various areas of medicine, and that we're ready to support them and enhance their education to be ready for those various areas of medicine (again, medical education, research, inquiry, innovation, and advocacy). We want to expose them to those areas, give them the skill set that they need and the experiences, so that when they graduate, when they complete their residency and fellowship, they can use that skill set to go into a career in all of those different areas. That's how we look at academic medicine. It's not just research, though research is very important.

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You have one of the biggest medical sciences programs, don't you? [3:52]

Yes. The MSTP program is a signature program here. It's one of the longest running and largest physician sciences programs in the country. Research has placed us on the map here at WashU, but I always say, research is more than just pipetting away in the lab.