Disclosures & Policies - Medical Student Admissions

Washington University School of Medicine is committed to providing a world-class education in a supportive and intellectually stimulating environment.

Accreditation

The Washington University School of Medicine’s MD program is nationally accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The LCME is jointly sponsored by the American Medical Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges. The LCME is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the accrediting agency for medical education programs leading to the MD degree.

Most state boards of licensure require that applicants graduate from a U.S. medical school accredited by the LCME as a condition for licensure. In addition, most state boards of licensure require that U.S. applicants take and pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). For U.S. medical students to be eligible to sit for the USMLE, their school must be accredited by LCME. Graduates of LCME-accredited schools are also eligible for residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

The Association of American Medical Schools (AAMC) confirms that MD graduates of an LCME-accredited medical school meet the undergraduate medical education (UME) requirements of physician licensing boards in all 50 States, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Such graduates also meet the UME requirements to sit for USMLE licensure exams. Because physician licensure requirements can change at any time and because some States may have additional requirements, such as those relating to graduate medical education (GME), students are well-advised to contact the applicable State licensing board in any State in which they are seeking licensure. For more detail on this AAMC Policy Advisory, click here.

Washington University School of Medicine Diversity Statement

Washington University School of Medicine’s culture of collaboration and inclusion is the foundation for success in everything it does. The School of Medicine recognizes that by bringing together people from varying backgrounds, experiences and areas of expertise, it can develop richer solutions to complex scientific questions, train culturally sensitive clinicians and provide health care in a way that best serves our diverse patient population. To support these values, the School of Medicine is deeply committed to building a diverse and inclusive community in which everyone is welcomed and valued. As the School of Medicine engages more fully with the community around it and appeals more broadly to student talent, it has adopted a clearer priority on diversifying its own ranks. Washington University encourages and gives full consideration to all applicants for admission, financial aid and employment regardless of race, color, ethnicity, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ability, gender identity or expression, national origin, veteran status, socio-economic status, genetic information. We implement policies and practices that support the inclusion of all such potential students, trainees and employees and are committed to being an institution that is accessible to everyone who learns, conducts research, works and seeks care on our campus. We provide reasonable accommodations to those seeking that assistance.

Technical Standards Statement

Washington University welcomes diverse applicants, including those with physical, sensory, learning, psychological, and chronic disease-related disabilities. The School of Medicine is committed to advocating for its students with disabilities and to educating a medical workforce that mirrors the diversity of the national population. We aim to be leaders in accessibility and inclusion.

Individuals seeking to graduate from Washington University with a Doctor of Medicine degree are expected to gain broad competence in the skills that underlie the practice of medicine and surgery. With or without accommodations, they must have the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to meet the School of Medicine’s educational program objectives and meet the Technical Standards outlined in this document.

All graduates must be able to take a patient’s history, perform an examination, and synthesize the findings into an assessment and plan in a reliable and effective manner, with or without reasonable accommodations. Abilities needed to meet these standards include:

Observation Skills, including gaining information from instructional activities, taking a history, and recognizing and evaluating physical findings
Communication Skills, including effective verbal and non-verbal communication with patients, caregivers, the health care team, and the education community
Motor Function, including navigating the clinical environment and performing a physical examination
Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative Abilities, including acquiring, synthesizing and applying foundational knowledge and clinical data
Behavioral, Social and Professional Attributes, including functioning as a compassionate, respectful, effective, ethical member of the health care and education community; receiving and acting on feedback; possessing the emotional and mental health needed to provide patient care; and prioritizing patient care in the face of competing demands

Applicants to the MD program review and attest to their ability to meet these technical standards as part of their application to the School of Medicine, and students attest again at the start of each Phase.

We welcome students with disabilities to apply to our school, to disclose their disability, and to collaborate with us to develop accommodations so that they can thrive and do their best work. Individuals who anticipate needing accommodations are encouraged to contact the University’s Disability Resources office for a consultation. The office will engage in a confidential and interactive process with the student and other personnel as necessary to determine reasonable accommodations. As accommodations are not applied retroactively and may require time to be implemented, they should be requested in a timely manner. Decisions on admission, retention and graduation will not be affected by the need for accommodations.

Non-Discrimination Statement

Washington University encourages and gives full consideration to all applicants for admission, financial aid, and employment. The University does not discriminate in access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, veteran status, disability or genetic information. Inquiries about compliance should be addressed to the University’s Vice Chancellor for Human Resources, Human Resources Department, MSC 1190-853-03, Washington University in St. Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899. The School of Medicine is committed to recruiting, enrolling and educating a diverse student body. Title IX information may be found here.

Criminal Background Checks and Drug Screening

Incoming students in the School of Medicine must undergo criminal background checks and drug screening before matriculation because of requirements of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Organizations (JCAHO). These confidential procedures are required of all health care workers, students and volunteers who participate in patient-related health care activities at the hospitals and health care facilities with which Washington University School of Medicine is affiliated.

An accepted student must consent to criminal background checks, which must be completed successfully before one can matriculate in the School of Medicine. Consent forms will be distributed to applicants who are offered positions in the incoming class. Similarly, at the time of medical school orientation, all incoming pre-matriculant students must submit to screening for the following substances: THC–cannabis, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines and PCP–phencyclidine. A confirmed positive test will preclude enrollment into the School of Medicine.

Security Reports

Please visit the Operations & Facilities Management Department website for campus security reports.

Transportation Policy

Medical students will be required to travel to off-campus clinical rotations when these are assigned by the clinical rotation course director. In order to avoid inequitable distributions of these assignments, a student’s stated lack of access to a private vehicle will not be considered in and of itself when creating these assignments. Students who do not have access to a private vehicle will consult the “Guidelines” section of this policy item for recommended options. Gas, mileage, parking fees, and ride or public transportation fares are not reimbursed by the school. We encourage you to review the full Transportation Policy, located in the Bulletin of the School of Medicine.

Other Policies

For our policy on Links to Third-Party Websites and other policies (e.g., Absences; Leaves; Withdrawals), visit the Policies & Guidelines section of the Bulletin of the School of Medicine.

Information technology (IT) policies for the university may be accessed here.

WUSM Visitor Guidelines

Prospective visitors to Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) for training, observation, or research purposes, may refer to the guidelines to ensure that proper procedures are followed.