The AAMC has identified 17 Premed Competencies for Entering Medical Students. These professional, science, and thinking and reasoning competencies are relevant for all health professions.

While these are primarily geared towards Pre-Medical students, these are generally referred to throughout all health professional programs.

As you proceed through your pre-health professions preparation, we encourage you to reflect regularly on your level of mastery of each of the competency areas, making plans to develop those competencies where you have less experience and documenting examples of how you have demonstrated those competencies with which you have significant familiarity.

Even if you are not applying for medical school, many of these competencies are shared in importance for dental, PA and other health professional programs. These are a guide to help you reflect on the experiences you’ve gained and why they have been impactful and important to you.

You will be asked to reflect on your core competencies during the PATH application process and in your health professional applications. We suggest using a system like Mapp’d or Handshake to track your experiences, but use this list of competencies to reflect and understand why they are important and impactful in your career journey.

Name of Competency	Definition(s)	Assessing Your Level of Experience
Professional Competencies:
Commitment to Learning and Growth	Practices continuous personal and professional growth for improvement, including setting and communicating goals for learning and development; reflects on successes, challenges, and mistakes; pursues opportunities to improve knowledge and understanding; and asks for and incorporates feedback to learn and grow.	“When I encounter something unfamiliar or challenging, do I see it as an opportunity to learn or something to avoid?”
Cultural Awareness	Appreciates how historical, sociocultural, political, and economic factors affect others’ interactions, behaviors, and well-being; values diversity; and demonstrates a desire to learn about different cultures, beliefs, and values.	“How often do I engage with people from different cultures, identities, or communities, and do I reflect on how my own background shapes my assumptions?”
Cultural Humility	Seeks out and engages diverse and divergent perspectives with a desire to understand and willingness to adjust one’s mindset; understands a situation or idea from alternative viewpoints; reflects on one’s values, beliefs, and identities and how they may affect others; reflects on and addresses bias in oneself and others; and fosters a supportive environment that values inclusivity.	“How have I demonstrated respect and openness toward people with backgrounds or beliefs different from mine?”
Empathy and Compassion	Recognizes, understands, and acknowledges others’ experiences, feelings, perspectives, and reactions to situations; is sensitive to others’ needs and feelings; and demonstrates a desire to help others and alleviate others’ distress.	“Do I make space for others’ feelings and perspectives, even when I don’t fully understand or agree with them?”
Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others	Behaves with honesty and integrity; considers multiple and/or conflicting principles and values to inform decisions; adheres to ethical principles when carrying out professional obligations; resists pressure to engage in unethical behavior; and encourages others to behave honestly and ethically.	“Do I take ownership of my mistakes and hold myself to consistent ethical standards, even when no one is watching?”
Interpersonal Skills	Demonstrates an awareness of how social and behavioral cues affect people’s interactions and behaviors; adjusts behaviors appropriately in response to these cues; recognizes and manages one’s emotions and understands how emotions impact others or a situation; and treats others with dignity, courtesy, and respect.	“Can I identify times when I’ve helped mediate conflict or improve group dynamics?”
Oral Communication	Effectively conveys information to others using spoken words and sentences; actively listens to understand the meaning and intent behind what others say; and recognizes potential communication barriers and adjusts approach or clarifies information as needed.	“When have I had to clearly explain a complex idea to someone unfamiliar with the topic (a patient, peer, or supervisor), and how confident was I in my delivery?”
Reliability and Dependability	Demonstrates accountability for performance and responsibilities to self and others; prioritizes and fulfills obligations in a timely and satisfactory manner; and understands consequences of not fulfilling one’s responsibilities to self and others.	“Do others see me as someone who follows through on commitments, even when it’s inconvenient or difficult?”
Resilience and Adaptability	Perseveres in challenging, stressful, or ambiguous environments or situations by adjusting behavior or approach in response to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles, and recognizes and seeks help and support when needed; recovers from and reflects on setbacks; and balances personal well-being with responsibilities.	“How have I responded to a major setback or unexpected challenge, and what did I learn from it?”
Service Orientation	Shows a commitment to something larger than oneself; demonstrates dedication to service and a commitment to making meaningful contributions that meet the needs of communities.	“How have I consistently prioritized others’ needs above my own, and what impact did that have on the people I served?”
Teamwork and Collaboration	Collaborates with others to achieve shared goals and prioritizes shared goals; adjusts role between team member and leader based on one’s own and others’ expertise and experience; shares information with team members and encourages this behavior in others; and gives and accepts feedback to improve team performance.	“When have I contributed meaningfully to a team effort, especially when roles or perspectives differed?”

Science Competencies:
Human Behavior	Applies knowledge of the self, others, and social systems to solve problems related to the psychological, sociocultural, and biological factors that influence health and well-being.	“How well do I understand the psychological, social, and cultural factors that influence individual and group behavior?”
Living Systems	Applies knowledge and skill in the natural sciences to solve problems related to molecular and macro systems, including biomolecules, molecules, cells, and organs.	“Do I have a solid understanding of how biological systems function and interact, and can I apply that knowledge?”

Thinking and Reasoning Competencies
Critical Thinking	Uses logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.	“How have I analyzed complex problems, especially in unfamiliar or ambiguous situations?”
Quantitative Reasoning	Applies quantitative reasoning and appropriate mathematics to describe or explain phenomena in the natural world.	“Can I confidently interpret and apply data in practical or real-world situations, like research or coursework?”
Scientific Inquiry	Applies knowledge of the scientific process to integrate and synthesize information, solve problems, and formulate research questions and hypotheses; is facile in the language of the sciences and uses it to participate in the discourse of science and explain how scientific knowledge is discovered and validated.	“When have I formulated a question and used evidence to investigate it, whether in research, class, or elsewhere?”
Written Communication	Effectively conveys information to others by using written words and sentences.	“Have I written clearly and effectively for a variety of audiences, and how do I know it was successful?”