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Medical schools are interested in more than just statistics when reviewing applications. They’re looking for students who display different core skills, particularly the AAMC’s 15 Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students.

Fifteen competencies would be too much to cover in one article, so we’re releasing a series of posts that cover each one and explain how you can most convincingly show that competency in your application.

In this article we’ll be exploring Teamwork. Let’s talk about what it means, how most pre-meds satisfy it, and how you can make your Teamwork stand out among the pool of applicants. 

What Exactly is 'Teamwork?' 

This is how the AAMC defines teamwork: “Works collaboratively with others to achieve shared goals; shares information and knowledge with others and provides feedback; puts team goals ahead of individual goals.”

Let's break down AAMC's definition of teamwork. Put simply, it's the ability of an individual to work with others to accomplish a common goal.

Medical schools want to make sure that they’re selecting applicants who can collaborate with other doctors, nurses, physician assistants, and patients.

The common goal of most doctors in medicine is to ensure the good health of their patients, which almost always involves teamwork among health professionals.

How Do Most Pre-Meds Build and Display Their Teamwork Skills?

There are numerous ways for pre-meds to develop and show their teamwork skills. Below are a few common examples:

• Holding a leadership position in a club
• Researching within their own field (a biology major doing biology research)
• Community involvement and volunteering 
• Active roles in a healthcare team (scribe, hospital volunteer, shadowing)

How Should YOU Do It Instead?

• Becoming an EMT and working with other healthcare providers to save patients
• Working in a fast-food restaurant 
• Doing a fundraising event that involves multiple universities or organizations
• Doing research in a different major than yours (for example, a biology major doing political science research)

The difference between the two lists is that the first list reveals generic examples of how most pre-med students will attempt to show their teamwork capabilities.

These generic activities are great; but they don’t often allow applicants to stand out from the crowd. The list below shows how to be unique and impress medical schools.

What Makes 'Teamwork' Most Impressive to Medical Schools?

• Large scale 
• High stakes
• Hands-on
• Innovative
• Recruitment to your cause
• Impact on patients
• Working with people different than you (interdisciplinary or cross-cultural) 

It is pivotal to be good at teamwork; doctors need to work together with others all the time. An essential part of teamwork and medicine is sharing credit and trusting your team. Every doctor must be a team player to ensure the best care of patients.

Stay tuned for the following core competency!

About the Author:

Suchitaa Sawhney is a second-year biomedical engineering student at Texas A&M. Inspired by her passion for science and helping others, Suchitaa hopes to pursue a career in medicine and restore the public's faith in the healthcare system by becoming an advocate for her patients. Suchitaa’s other interests include spending time with friends and family, listening to music, and watching puppy videos.