By: Dr. Sydnee McElroy, Justin McElroy
Submitted by: Marsha Harman, Rush Center for Clinical Skills and Simulation, Rush University

AOA is a medical honors society that’s supposed to separate top-tier medical students from the rest of the pack. It helps determine which doctors get the top jobs in the most competitive fields. The problem? There’s implicit racism in the way it chooses members, and fixing it may be a massive challenge.

This podcast talks through the history of the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society and how membership in the society gives medical students a leg up in applying to residency programs, which play a major part in determining future career paths. Different schools use different criteria for selection, and grades, which include input from SPs, are often a part of the selection process. How can we help our SPs acknowledge and dismantle their individual implicit biases? 

Listen to the full podcast on the Sawbones website here.

Publications Committee Mission: “To bring high quality reporting of current research, trends, techniques and information regarding SP methodology and other relevant industry articles to the attention of the membership through the web-based ASPE eNews blog.”

Please provide comments, questions or suggestions about the ASPE eNews Blog here.