After graduating just over one year ago, members of the Larner College of Medicine’s Class of 2016 – along with medical school graduates across the country – participated in the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) Medical School Graduation Questionnaire (GQ), a national questionnaire that serves as a tool for medical schools to use in program evaluation and to improve the medical student experience.

The GQ provides aggregate data from graduating students at the 136 U.S. medical schools accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) with 2016 graduates, as well as individual data to each of the participating schools, including the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. Among the GQ’s questions are topics relating to: pre-clinical, clinical, and elective experiences; general medical education and readiness for residency; student services; and financial aid and indebtedness.

In the recently-released 2016 GQ findings, UVM Larner College of Medicine Class of 2016 members reported markedly high satisfaction with their clinical skills education. In fact, 99 percent of the graduates who completed the GQ said they agreed or strongly agreed that their clinical skills education had prepared them for residency success compared to 90.1 percent nationally.

Other highlights from the new GQ report include:

• 93.7% of Larner College of Medicine students in the Class of 2016 completed a community-based research project, compared to 31.4% of medical students nationally.
• 70.5% of Larner College of Medicine students in the Class of 2016 gained experience educating elementary, high school or college students about careers in health professions or biological sciences, compared to 48.4% of medical students nationally.
• 86.3% of Larner College of Medicine students in the Class of 2016 gained experience related to cultural awareness and cultural competence, compared to 72.4% of medical students nationally.

Established in 1978 by the AAMC, the GQ has been approved by the American Institutes for Research Institutional Review Board and endorsed by student leaders of the AAMC Organization of Student Representatives, the American Medical Association Medical Student Section, the American Medical Student Association, and the American College of Physicians, Council of Student Members.