Over the past 15 years, I have met countless medical school applicants. Some of them are ambitious, some are exhausted, and some were once brilliant but have become overwhelmed. As the founders of a medical school admissions consulting firm, we pride ourselves on eliminating this feeling of overwhelm. But over the past year or so, medical school applicants have started turning to something entirely different: artificial intelligence.
Inspira Advantage recently conducted a survey of 145 pre-med students across the United States to understand mental health during the application process. Nearly 60% of medical school applicants say they often feel overwhelmed by stress and anxiety while preparing to apply. About 70% said they felt the need for treatment during the same tumultuous process. What happened next felt like a wake-up call.
More than half of respondents did not feel comfortable sharing sensitive mental health information with an AI bot. Additionally, more than 55% said they actually believe AI tools can improve mental health not only in medical school preparation but also in the medical field. It has become clear that these aspiring medical professionals need help and that AI is here to help them, without the price tag or hectic schedules.
Before hailing AI as the new learning buddy on campus or the savior of mental health, certain gaps need to be considered.
As those in the field of medical school admissions, we need to rethink the support structures available to these young applicants. Some of these students are actively leveraging free and ubiquitous tools like AI to pry open mental health issues without much-needed human intervention. Because these services are either inaccessible or stigmatized. If university and medical school campuses responsibly leverage AI to streamline access and affordability of mental health support services for students, they could create a safer environment for our nation’s future physicians.
We also need to be more aware of the limitations of AI integrated into the curriculum. Now, the students were completely unaware of this. Nearly two-thirds of survey respondents acknowledged that future physicians need to understand the limitations and risks of using AI both before and after medical school.
And educational institutions, where students spend much of their time, will have a responsibility to educate them about such risks while also implementing AI practices to better prepare the next generation of physicians. For example, today’s medical students will inherit a world where patients come to the office with their conditions already diagnosed and a customized care plan, perhaps created using AI. Students must be able to speak the language fluently. Otherwise, you risk getting lost in the language. Therefore, schools need to develop these skills from an early stage in the undergraduate years.
Once students enter medical school, healthcare institutions can implement AI modules into preclinical training and elective courses on the use of AI in healthcare. In addition to this, you will also need to follow courses on the ethical use of AI and how it can put patient safety at risk.
The days of fighting AI are over. But what we can do, as part of the medical school context, is to instill in our students policies and principles that will guide them in using this tool, now available to everyone, as a cognitive assistant and as an emotional anchor. AI does come with risks, but with increased literacy and ethical usage, we can use this tool responsibly, minimize AI’s harm to us, and best prepare the next generation of doctors to care for themselves before saving others.
Arush Chandna is the co-founder of Inspira Advantage, an educational technology resource for students pursuing careers in the medical field.
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