SCIENTIFIC
Experiences During Gap Years Prior to Medical School : An Observational Study
AUTHORS : Emily K . Nease , MD 1
Linda S . Nield , MD 2 Christina M . Baker , BSW 2 Lauren M . Wamsley , MPH 2 Alyson S . Lewis , MA 2 Manuel C . Vallejo , MD , DMD 2
1
Department of Pediatrics , West Virginia University School of Medicine
2
Department of Medical Education , West Virginia University School of Medicine
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR :
Christina M . Baker christina . baker @ hsc . wvu . edu
DISCLOSURES :
Author LSN is the Editor-in-Chief of the West Virginia Medical Journal
Authors EKN and MCV are Associate Editors of the West Virginia Medical Journal
Bias for peer review was mitigated by reviews being completed by one peer reviewer who is employed by West Virginia University School of Medicine outside of the Morgantown campus , and two peer reviewers employed by the Joan C . Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University
ETHICS STATEMENT :
The Institutional Review Board of West Virginia University School of Medicine approved of this project ( Protocol Number 2112491909 )
FUNDING : None
INTRODUCTION
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
Pre-medical students seek advice from physicians about applying to medical school , including information about gap years . Detailed information about experiences in which medical students engage during their gap years is not available in current literature . To increase the available information for physicians who may advise medical school applicants , we determined the frequency of gap years and details about the types of experiences in which matriculated medical students engaged during that time .
METHODS
Data from American Medical College Application Service applications to West Virginia University School of Medicine ( WVU SoM ) from 2019 to 2021 were extracted . Data included year of college graduation , year of medical school application , and details of experiences occurring during gap years . The frequency of gap years and the range , mean , median , and modes of the gap length were determined , along with details about gap experiences of matriculants . The Institutional Review Board of WVU SoM approved of this project ( Protocol Number 2112491909 ).
RESULTS
A total of 15,676 applications were reviewed . The gap frequency was 42 % ( N = 50 ), 45 % ( N = 51 ), and 54 % ( N = 60 ) for application years 2019 , 2020 , and 2021 , respectively . Lengths ranged from one to 13 years . Gap experiences fit in one of six categories : education , research , medically related employment , non-medically related employment , volunteerism , and military service .
CONCLUSION
Physicians can incorporate this new information about the frequency and details of the six broad categories of gap year experiences into their advice given to their pre-medical advisees .
A strong physician workforce in the United States ( US ) and West Virginia ( WV ) begins with effective advising of pre-medical students . Pre-medical students seek advice from not only professional pre-medical advisors but also from physicians and health professionals in academia , private practice , and the US and WV public sectors . Physicians in WV may be asked to provide guidance to pre-medical students more than physicians in other locations , as WV is home to more medical students per capita than any other state in the country . 1 In 2021 , there were 89.1 allopathic and osteopathic medical students per 100,000 citizens in WV versus the national rate of 37.9 . 1 In this team ’ s nearly decade-long experience with advising approximately 200 pre-medical students per year , it has found that a topic of particular interest to pre-medical students is the gap year . Gap year refers to the timeframe of one or more years between college graduation and medical school application . Pre-medical students often have little knowledge about the experiences they should pursue during their gap time . Although the annual Matriculating Student Questionnaire administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges ( AAMC ) contains questions pertaining to gap years , 2 published articles that provide details about the specific activities that successful applicants have experienced during their time between undergraduate years and medical school are scarce . The purpose of this observational study is twofold : to determine the frequency in which matriculated medical students have participated in a gap year and to determine the types of experiences and frequency of the types of experiences in which matriculated medical students engaged during their gap years . The ultimate purpose is to enhance the advice provided to individuals who want to pursue a medical degree in the US .
METHODS
All American Medical Colleges Application Service ( AMCAS ) applications to WVU SoM from the 2019 , 2020 , and 2021 cycles were reviewed for data extraction . The anonymous data was stored in a Microsoft Excel file and descriptive statis-
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