Social Secretary Ella Kipling reviews medical students’ response to changes in scoring protocols
A group of medical students have written an open letter to the UK Foundation Program Office, citing their concerns over the new announced changes to the status of education achievement (EA) points in the UKFPO application scoring process, which are due to come into effect from 2023 onwards.
The UKFPO, the body who handles the applications for and allocations to the first job postings of medical students upon graduation, announced a decision to scrap part of the framework used to assess the applications of graduating medical students in December 2020. The group of students behind the letter expressed their concerns that these changes may ‘widen educational inequalities along the lines of income.’
The old UKFPO scoring protocol used to take into account additional educational achievements such as additional degrees or publications, which gave credit for both qualifications gained during a year out of medical education (this is known as an intercalated degree) and qualifications gained before starting medical education (as is the case for postgraduate students.) However, as of 2023, these EA points will no longer be counted. In the letter, the students explain that while they understand the reasoning behind the proposed changes, they are ‘strongly opposed’ to the proposed EA point revision and its ‘manner of planning and announcement.’
the decision was made without any significant student consultation
The group claims that the decision was made without any significant student consultation and was announced ‘in a rush,’ in December 2020, despite the decision being ‘apparently’ made in February. This alleged delay in announcing the decision resulted in a cohort of medical students already embarking upon a year-long intercalated study as the promise of points on the graduate job application is a ‘significant’ motivator to embark on study.
Matthew Kalirai told Redbrick: ‘By taking away application points, the UKFPO have made it even less likely that people who are resource disadvantaged would choose intercalated study at all; the nudge away from intercalation will affect those whose decisions were most finely balanced, which would disproportionately be folks who have strong reasons not to intercalate, such as those from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.’
After an ‘incredibly difficult year’ due to Covid-19 and several lockdowns, these changes are seen as a ‘serious blow’ to both domestic and international medical students. The letter also explained that is the proposed revision is ‘still deemed the optimal solution,’ medical students recommend that the UKFPO consider pushing back the date of implementation of this change by a few years to affect the cohort applying for medical schools in 2021, ‘in the interest of respecting the sanctity of informed decision making.’
these changes are seen as a ‘serious blow’ to both domestic and international medical students
Following the widespread response from medical students across the UK, National MedSoc, a group made up of various student bodies, has created a petition to UKFPO urging them to delay implementation to 2028, increase meaningful student consultation, use evidence based methods, commit to Widening Access, and offer a response to the issues raised in the petition.
The petition states that it is ‘now evident that more inclusive and transparent discussions are needed to better understand how this decision may impact current and future students as well as whether it is in fact the optimal way forward.’
National MedSoc is made up of: Anglia Ruskin Medical Students Society, Barts and The London Students’ Association, Birmingham MedSoc, Brighton and Sussex Medical School Medical Society, Bute Medical Society St Andrews, Cambridge MedSoc, Cardiff MedSoc, Edinburgh Medical Students Council, Galenicals University of Bristol Medical Students’ Society, Guy’s King’s and St Thomas’ Medical Students’ Association, Imperial College School of Medicine Students’ Union, Kent and Medway Medical Society, Lancaster University MedSoc, Leicester University Students’ Union Medical Association, Liverpool Medical Students’ Society, Manchester MedSoc, Nottingham MedSoc, Osler House Oxford, Oxford Medical Student Society, Royal Free, University College and Middlesex Medical Students Association (RUMS), St George’s Students Union, Swansea MedSoc, University of Central Lancashire Medical Society, University of Dundee MBChB Student Council, University of East Anglia MedSoc, University of Glasgow Medico-Chirurgical Society, University of Lincoln Medical Society, University of Sheffield MedSoc, University of Southampton MedSoc, University of Warwick MedSoc.
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