due to the older students ’ age and experience , ability to connect with patients , and concern with “ real learning ” over test scores [ 12 ]. Thus , there appears to be some indication that age and experience may factor into academic performance during clinical rotations .
Building on that idea , the identification of age and experience as important factors that impact a student ’ s performance on clinical rotation can have implications for medical school admissions committees . These factors are important for students to feel prepared to transition into the clinical setting . Often age comes with experiences that provide students with the attributes identified that allow them to perform well on clinical rotations . Ideally , this also means that they will utilize these attributes in the real-world setting when they become practicing physicians on multidisciplinary healthcare teams . Previous research in Canada , Australia , and New Zealand identified differences in older and younger medical student applicants . Namely , older students in Canada often entered with lower MCAT scores and GPAs [ 12 ]. Additionally , older students in Canada and Australia did not perform as well during their preclinical years based on academic performance or awards and prizes won [ 14 ]. Yet , older students in New Zealand performed as well as , if not better than , younger students in the earlier years of medical school [ 25 ]. The main takeaway is that older students in all three countries performed just as well during their clinical years [ 12 , 14 , 25 ]. It may be important for admissions committees to consider age and / or experience to determine the applicants that possess the necessary attributes to become strong physicians .
We may also want to further explore the concept of age and specialty choice . Although previously mentioned research has shown that age plays more of a factor than we found in terms of students pursuing less time-intensive residencies , it has also been shown that the most important factor is interest in a specialty subject matter [ 30 ]. Asking further questions of students as to the reasons for specialty choice will help us understand this decision process and potentially help career deans and advisors .
In conclusion , there is agreement among many students of all ages that there are certain reasons to become a physician and certain attributes one must possess to perform well . These attributes are often developed through various experiences . Yet , this doesn ’ t explicitly mean that a student must be of a certain age to have garnered the right amount and types of experiences . While it is often the case that with age comes experience and the ability to develop the necessary attributes that allow students to become strong clinical performers and ultimately physicians , it is not a prerequisite that one be of a certain age to have those experiences .
Conflict of Interest
On behalf of all authors , the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest .
Acknowledgements
Funding was provided by the Gill Research Fellowship Program , The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences . The authors acknowledge the contributions of Eamon Duffy , BA , MD / MBA Candidate Class of 2018 , Yale School of Medicine and Yale School of Management ; Ian Drummond , BA , MD / MBA Candidate Class of 2019 , Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Weatherhead School of Management ; Tom Harrod , The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences ; and Gisela Butera , The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences .
Compliance with Ethical Standards
Funding ( Optional ): N / A
Conflict of Interest : None
Ethical approval : This project was considered exempt by the institutional review board at The George Washington University ( IRB # 051224 ).
Informed consent : N / A
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