"Amman Dialogues for the Future Group", during a dialogue seminar titled "University Admission and Academic Performance - Medical Schools as a Model", discussed the reality of admission to medical schools and the impact of admission criteria on students' academic performance.
The seminar was presented by Professor Dr. Ahmed Al-Tamimi, in the presence of a number of group members and those interested in educational and academic affairs. Dr. Sadiq Al-Attom began the meeting by providing a brief on Dr. Al-Tamimi's academic and professional biography, his specialization in neurology, and his experience in medical education and training.
Al-Tamimi discussed admission systems in medical schools locally and globally, pointing out that relying solely on the high school average does not necessarily reflect all the student's abilities and readiness.
He explained that a number of global education systems use additional criteria, including previous academic performance, aptitude tests, communication skills, critical thinking, decision-making, personal interviews, community service, and skills and hobbies.
Al-Tamimi presented a scientific study he conducted on medical students at the University of Jordan for the batch that joined the university in 2012/2013. The study included types of high school certificates, nationality, gender, admission paths, in addition to academic performance and student success rates.
The study showed varying success rates among students according to the type of high school certificate, with a success rate of about 93 percent for holders of the Jordanian high school certificate, compared to about 87 percent for holders of some foreign certificates, such as the English and American high school, while some other types of certificates recorded success rates lower than that.
Al-Tamimi touched on the different admission systems at the University of Jordan's Faculty of Medicine, including competitive admission, scholarships, parallel program, international system, children of university employees, international agreements, and other paths.
He emphasized that one of the main challenges facing admission to medical schools is the heavy reliance on the high school average, rising admission rates, and the multiplicity of exemption and quota systems, in addition to not measuring some of the skills and abilities needed by a medical student.
He suggested the importance of studying the possibility of adopting a national exam for abilities and skills to be one of the admission elements alongside the academic average, which contributes to selecting students according to more comprehensive and objective criteria.
Al-Tamimi also discussed the importance of achieving a balance between the number of students admitted to medical specialties and the needs of the labor market, which reduces the challenges associated with the number of graduates and future employment opportunities.
He pointed to the importance of maintaining the academic level reached by the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Jordan, enhancing the status of Jordanian medical education and the reputation of its graduates locally and internationally.
He stressed during the seminar the need for any modifications to admission and medical education systems to be based on scientific studies and clear data, and to take into account the interests of the student, the university, and the labor market, and to maintain the quality of medical education.
