Technical Standards for Completion of the Medical Curriculum

Technical standards or essential abilities are academic performance requirements that refer to those physical, cognitive, and behavioral abilities required for satisfactory completion of all aspects of the medical curriculum and the development of personal attributes required by the completion of the medical school curriculum.

In addition to technical standards, the medical student must demonstrate ethical standards and a professional demeanor in interaction with peers, faculty, staff, patients, and their families. Students should be able to perform the essential functions listed with or without reasonable accommodation under the ADA and the ADAAAA guidelines. We invite Long School of Medicine students or applicants who have questions about accommodations to contact our Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator, Bonnie L. Blankmeyer, Ph.D.

The Long School of Medicine recognizes the immense benefits of faculty and student diversity on physician effectiveness and population health. Our School has many years of experience in accommodating people with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodation to support qualified students. Reasonable accommodations may include and are not limited to technological adaptations or trained intermediaries, such as interpreters, who facilitate without supplanting, the student’s performance of an essential skill. These technical standards are listed below.

Intellectual Abilities

The successful medical student will:

• Comprehend and retain factual knowledge from readings and didactic presentations.
• Independently gather information.
• Analyze and synthesize learned material. Application of information to clinical situations.

Behavioral, Social, and Professional Abilities

The successful medical student will:

• Display emotional maturity and stability to function effectively under the stress that is inherent in medicine.
• Adapt and function proficiently in unpredictable circumstances or situations that change rapidly.
• Display compassion, empathy, altruism, integrity, responsibility, and tolerance in all settings.
• Employ sound judgment in the practice of medicine.
• Commit to and exemplify the ideals of the profession of medicine and the community of health care professionals with whom they serve.

Communication Skills

The successful medical student will:

• Effectively communicate with patients and their families in person, in writing, and by other means available to the medical student
• Gather detailed and complex information appropriately.
• Explain medical information in a patient-centered manner.
• Listen effectively recognizing, acknowledging, responding to emotions, and exhibiting sensitivity to social and cultural differences.
• Communicate effectively and work cooperatively with all other health care team members for the good of the patient.

Motor Skills

The successful medical student will:

• Have sufficient physical dexterity to master the technical and procedural aspects of patient care. Exhibit sufficient strength to perform the essential duties.
• Display adequate physical stamina and energy to carry out taxing duties over long hours for the care of patients.
• Be able to understand and direct the methodology involved in such activities, if unable to independently perform these activities.

Sensory Abilities

The successful medical student will:

• Understand that the diagnosis and delivery of patient care involves the sensory abilities of sight, hearing, smell and touch, and understand that sensory abilities naturally vary among people.
• Exhibit the ability to achieve these goals using their available modalities.
• Have sufficient sensory abilities in order to support the procurement of a medical history and performance of the physical examination.