Arguing that relying solely on scores doesn't adequately assess a candidate's passion and ethics, many experts suggest adding essays and interviews to the medical school admissions process.
Currently, there are 27 medical schools nationwide, with admissions primarily based on high school graduation exam scores, commonly using the three-subject combination of Mathematics, Chemistry, and Biology (B00) or Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry (A00). This year, the inclusion of Literature as an additional subject combination in some universities has sparked mixed reactions.
Furthermore, according to Professor Nguyen Huu Tu, Rector of Hanoi Medical University, the high school graduation exam no longer meets the admission goals for medical fields, especially for highly competitive fields such as Medicine and Dentistry. From 2025, the Ministry of Education and Training will reform the high school graduation exam, so medical and pharmaceutical schools also need to urgently prepare appropriate admission methods.
For many years, the entrance scores for medical school have consistently been among the highest in the country. Last year, the entrance scores for medical programs at major training institutions ranged from 26.45 to 28.15 in the traditional B00 subject combination. The highest score was at Hanoi Medical University.
However, a former leader of a major medical university in the South said that a survey had shown that students with high entrance exam scores were not necessarily good students.
Dr. Dam Quang Minh, an education expert, said that some lecturers at medical schools have shared with him that many students have dropped out, experienced severe stress after moving on to the hospital internship phase, or only realized they were not suited for the field after 5-6 years of study.
Many students enroll in medical school thinking that since they scored high on the entrance exam, they should go into a field with high admission standards. After 5-6 years of study, it's too late to change careers, and the price to pay at this point is too high. They accept studying and working in the profession at a mediocre level.
According to Professor Dang Van Phuoc, Chairman of the Council of Professors in Medicine and Head of the Faculty of Medicine at the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, without passion, doctors will quickly become disillusioned with the profession, work half-heartedly, and easily fall into the wrong path.
"But passion and ethics are not entirely reflected in grades," Professor Dang Van Phuoc shared.
Arguing that the three-subject exam scores do not fully reflect a candidate's level of aptitude, aptitude, and suitability for the medical field, experts suggest that medical and pharmaceutical schools need to change their admissions methods, possibly by reducing their reliance on exam scores.
Students at Hanoi Medical University during a class in March 2020. Photo: Thanh Hang
Professor Dang Van Phuoc believes that medical school admissions should include an interview round. According to him, after passing the preliminary round based on high school graduation exam scores, academic transcripts, or aptitude test scores, candidates should be interviewed by a panel of doctors, psychologists, and lecturers about their social knowledge, perspective on serving humanity, ethics, and other qualities to determine their suitability for the medical field. In addition, candidates should submit an essay explaining their reasons, passion, and career goals for choosing this field.
This is also the admissions approach that Dr. Dam Quang Minh and Dr. Le Viet Khuyen, Vice President of the Association of Vietnamese Universities and Colleges, agree on. According to Dr. Khuyen, oral examinations are a selective method applied by many famous universities around the world.
"Previously, when I studied at Lomonosov Moscow State University in Russia, after the preliminary selection, candidates had to take a written exam. After the written exam, they continued with an oral exam. If they didn't pass the subsequent rounds, they would go back to take the entrance exams for local universities. That's the real way to select talented people," Mr. Khuyen recounted.
This is similar to the medical entrance examination process in many countries around the world, such as Japan and the United States.
Dr. Nguyen Dinh Nam, a physician at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City who graduated with a PhD in Medicine from Kyoto University, said that in Japan, most medical schools recruit students in two rounds. In the first round, candidates must pass tests in Natural Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), Mathematics, and English. In the second round, they must write an essay and participate in an interview.
Meanwhile, in the US, Trinh Mai Chi, a doctoral student in medicine at Johns Hopkins University, said that the final interview round is one of the deciding factors in whether a candidate is accepted or not.
Specifically , in the first round, medical schools consider academic achievements in university and the M CAT exam score (including...). The selection process consists of four parts: the biological and biochemical foundations of living systems; the chemical and physical foundations of biological systems; the psychological, social, and biological foundations of behavior; and critical analysis and reasoning skills. Applicants must also demonstrate completion of certain undergraduate courses (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Psychology, Sociology, Languages ) and demonstrate clinical experience. In the second round, the school provides an essay prompt and requires applicants to write one. After two rounds, approximately 30% of applicants are selected for an interview.
"Through the interview, they can assess the candidate's interpersonal skills and how they treat others," Chi said.
Students from Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine provided free eye examinations for high school students in March 2023. Photo: Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine Youth Fanpage.
In the context of medical and pharmaceutical schools still admitting students based on exam scores in three subjects, Professor Dang Van Phuoc believes that these should be Mathematics, Chemistry, and Biology. Regarding suggestions to include Literature in the admissions combination, arguing that doctors also need to persuade, empathize, and share with patients, he respects these views but does not share them.
"Doctors must persuade patients with scientific evidence and medical knowledge, not with sweet, empty words," Professor Phuoc said, noting that someone who excels in Math, Chemistry, and Biology likely has a strong aptitude for Literature, sufficient to write, present, and communicate effectively, even coherently and logically.
Furthermore, the medical field has a 6-year training period with several related subjects such as Hospital Life, Medical Psychology and Ethics, Health Education, and Scientific Research Methods. In addition, during training and practical experience in hospitals, students will receive guidance from professors and senior colleagues, honing their medical ethics, communication skills, and empathy for patients. They will also learn how to write theses and case reports, so these skills can be further developed throughout their studies.
Professor Nguyen Huu Tu, on the other hand, hopes that medical and pharmaceutical schools will use a common admissions tool by unifying the subject combinations for the entrance exam and commissioning several units that organize aptitude and thinking assessment exams. Candidates would only need to take the exam once but could use the results to apply to multiple schools.
"This approach has the potential to both filter out fake data and ensure quality while reducing waste," Mr. Tu said.
Le Nguyen - Duong Tam
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