MD Technical Standards

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health has established technical standards for admission to, continued enrollment, in and graduation from the MD program.

Conferral of a medical degree certifies that the recipient has demonstrated all the requisite abilities and skills to become a practicing physician. This demonstration encompasses a variety of attributes critical to the provision of quality medical care, including the physical, cognitive, and emotional strengths necessary to complete the rigorous requirements of the medical school curriculum, as well as the social and behavioral skills expected of a competent health care provider.

Technical Standards and Disclosure of Disabilities During the Admission Process

Admission to the UW MD program is based primarily on each applicant’s previous academic and personal experience, as well as that student’s attestation that they are capable of meeting technical standards. Admission also reflects the judgment of the Admissions Committee that the admitted applicant possesses the required attributes to become a practicing physician.

Federal and state laws prohibit discrimination against otherwise qualified applicants who may be able to meet the technical standards if provided reasonable accommodation. As such, all applicants are held to the same academic and technical standards, with reasonable accommodations as needed for students with disabilities. Applicants must have a disability in order to be approved for reasonable accommodations.

Accommodation requests made during the admissions process are reviewed by the McBurney Disability Resource Center, and implementation is determined by the Technical Standards and Access to Accommodations Committee at the School of Medicine and Public Health. After review, the Technical Standards Director will engage in an interactive process with applicants who are making accommodation requests. To request accommodations, please fill out the McBurney Connect Online Student Application, and be sure to note that you are a medical student.

Upon completion of the interactive process, UW reserves the right not to admit any applicant who cannot meet the technical standards. This right to not admit or the right to rescind admission applies in cases where reasonable accommodation cannot be provided, would result in a fundamental alteration to the technical standards, or would compromise patient care or the safety of the prospective and/or currently enrolled students.

Students who believe they may need to request reasonable accommodations in order to meet the standards are encouraged to contact the McBurney Center or the UW School of Medicine and Public Health Technical Standards Director.

Technical Standards and Disclosure of Disabilities for Enrolled Students

Annually, enrolled students in the School of Medicine and Public Health are required to attest that they meet the technical standards either with, or without, reasonable accommodations.

Technical Standards for Admission and Graduation

The practice of medicine requires a broad combination of cognitive, emotional, physical, interpersonal, and technical skills and attributes in order to provide highly effective patient care. To perform satisfactorily in School of Medicine and Public Health courses, and to serve as practicing physicians after graduation, all students who enroll must meet minimum standards that the school has identified.

These standards must be met throughout medical school in order for students to make satisfactory progress and graduate. Any intention of the student to practice only a narrow part of the curriculum upon graduation does not alter the requirement that all students perform satisfactorily in the full curriculum and meet all graduation requirements.

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Observational Skills

The functional ability to observe in the lecture hall and virtual settings, required demonstrations and experiments, anatomic dissection, microscopic studies, instructional and clinical laboratories, standardized patient demonstrations, the clinic and the patient’s bedside is required. Observational skills in the healthcare field necessitate the functional ability to detect, determine, convey, and exchange information, both in person and in virtual settings.

Communication Skills

Candidates for admission must show evidence of effective communication skills. Students must be able to communicate effectively, sensitively and efficiently with patients, their families and all members of the health care team in a way that promotes and facilitates appropriate and timely patient care.

Motor Function

Students must have sufficient motor function to carry out basic laboratory techniques; elicit information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic and therapeutic maneuvers; and to participate in dissection of a human cadaver. During clinical activities, students must be able to perform a complete physical examination, perform diagnostic and laboratory procedures, and provide general care and emergency treatment to patients.

Actions requiring coordination of gross and fine motor skills as well as equilibrium consist of, but are not limited to, performing all basic required physical examination skills, performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, inserting IV catheters, inserting endotracheal tubes, applying pressure to stop bleeding, suturing simple wounds, assisting in surgical operations, and performing general obstetrical and gynecological procedures.

Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative Abilities

Candidates must be able to measure, calculate, organize, retrieve, sequence, reason, analyze, and synthesize. Students must have the ability to synthesize data obtained in a clinical setting, perform clinical reasoning, and solve problems efficiently and effectively. Problem solving and clinical reasoning, the critical skills demanded of physicians, require all of these intellectual abilities. In order to complete the requirements for the MD degree, students must be able to demonstrate mastery of these skills and the ability to use them together in a timely fashion in medical problem solving and patient care.

Behavioral and Social Attributes

Candidates and students must possess the emotional health required to fully utilize all intellectual abilities, such as exercising good judgment, completing responsibilities promptly, and developing mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients and their family members, staff and colleagues. Students must be able to function effectively under stress, adapt to changing environments, display flexibility and adjust to the uncertainties inherent in inpatient care. All students must be able to work effectively as a member of a health care team. Additional attributes required for medical practitioners include compassion, integrity, effective interpersonal skills and motivation.

Accommodation Request Process and Implementation

When a request for accommodation is received, the McBurney Disability Resource Center reviews the request and the supporting documentation and, in consultation with the Technical Standards and Access to Accommodations Committee in the School of Medicine and Public Health, provides reasonable accommodations. It is within the scope of the Technical Standards and Access to Accommodations Committee to involve individuals who are knowledgeable and/or professional in reviewing, analyzing and assessing the implementation of the requested accommodations.

Further implementation of these standards is the responsibility of the faculty and staff of the school. It is the responsibility of Student Services to monitor the progress of every student during every semester. Failure to meet these standards requires a student to appear before the Student Promotions and Academic Review Committee (SPARC) to determine a plan for the student to regain a successful path within the School of Medicine and Public Health.

Interactive Education

Successful entry to medical school is accomplished through an interactive process between the individual student and UW staff, faculty and Student Services. This interactive process provides the opportunity for a student to achieve a medical degree with reasonable accommodations, when appropriate.