Medical Intel

1. Medical School Organizations and Application Services

Acronym	Full Name
AAMC	Association of American Medical Colleges
AACOM	American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
AACOMAS	American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service
AMCAS	American Medical College Application Service
AADSAS	Associated American Dental Schools Application Service
ACGME	Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
AMA	American Medical Association
AOA	American Osteopathic Association
AOGME	Association of Osteopathic Graduate Medical Educators
ASCO	Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry
CAS	Centralized Application Service
ERAS	Electronic Residency Application Service
NRMP	National Resident Matching Program
OMS	Osteopathic Medical Student
TMDSAS	Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service

2. Accreditation and Medical Education Oversight

Acronym	Full Name
CACMS	Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools
COCA	Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation
LCME	Liaison Committee on Medical Education
ACGME	Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
ECFMG	Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates
WFME	World Federation for Medical Education
WDOMS	World Directory of Medical Schools
NBME	National Board of Medical Examiners
NBOME	National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners
FSMB	Federation of State Medical Boards
USDE	United States Department of Education

3. Admissions Examinations and Assessments

Acronym	Full Name
MCAT	Medical College Admission Test
PREview	AAMC PREview Professional Readiness Exam
Casper	Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics
SJT	Situational Judgment Test
MMI	Multiple Mini Interview
Kira	Kira Talent, an online assessment and interview platform
USMLE	United States Medical Licensing Examination
COMLEX-USA	Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States
CASPer/Casper	Older acronym and current branding, respectively, for the Acuity Insights assessment

Note: USMLE and COMLEX-USA are medical licensing examination sequences taken during medical education and training, not entrance examinations for medical school.

4. Application and Admissions Terminology

Acronym	Full Name or Meaning
BPCM	Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics GPA category used by AMCAS
BCPM	Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics; standard AMCAS designation
cGPA	Cumulative Grade Point Average
sGPA	Science Grade Point Average
GPA	Grade Point Average
IA	Institutional Action
LOR	Letter of Recommendation
LOI	Letter of Intent or Letter of Interest, depending on context
MSAR	Medical School Admission Requirements, the AAMC school-information resource
OOS	Out-of-State Applicant
IS	In-State Applicant
ORM	Overrepresented in Medicine, an informal and context-dependent term
URM	Underrepresented in Medicine, an older term often replaced by UIM
UIM	Underrepresented in Medicine
PS	Personal Statement
PCE	Patient Care Experience
HCE	Healthcare Experience
WAMC	What Are My Chances? An informal applicant-forum expression

5. Academic and Preparatory Programs

Acronym	Full Name
BS/MD	Bachelor of Science / Doctor of Medicine
BA/MD	Bachelor of Arts / Doctor of Medicine
BS/DO	Bachelor of Science / Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
BA/DO	Bachelor of Arts / Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
BS/MPH	Bachelor of Science / Master of Public Health
MD/PhD	Doctor of Medicine / Doctor of Philosophy
DO/PhD	Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine / Doctor of Philosophy
MD/MPH	Doctor of Medicine / Master of Public Health
DO/MPH	Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine / Master of Public Health
MD/MBA	Doctor of Medicine / Master of Business Administration
DO/MBA	Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine / Master of Business Administration
MSTP	Medical Scientist Training Program
SMP	Special Master’s Program
PB	Postbaccalaureate Program, an informal abbreviation
GME	Graduate Medical Education
UME	Undergraduate Medical Education
CME	Continuing Medical Education
HPAC	Health Professions Advisory Committee
HPA	Health Professions Advising or Advisor
HPSP	Health Professions Scholarship Program
NHSC	National Health Service Corps

6. Clinical Experience, Healthcare, and Patient Care

Acronym	Full Name
CNA	Certified Nursing Assistant
EMT	Emergency Medical Technician
AEMT	Advanced Emergency Medical Technician
MA	Medical Assistant
CMA	Certified Medical Assistant
PA	Physician Assistant or Physician Associate
NP	Nurse Practitioner
RN	Registered Nurse
LPN	Licensed Practical Nurse
LVN	Licensed Vocational Nurse
PCT	Patient Care Technician
CCT	Critical Care Technician, depending on employer
ED	Emergency Department
ER	Emergency Room
ICU	Intensive Care Unit
NICU	Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
PICU	Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
OR	Operating Room
PCP	Primary Care Physician or Primary Care Provider
FQHC	Federally Qualified Health Center
CHC	Community Health Center
EHR	Electronic Health Record
EMR	Electronic Medical Record
HIPAA	Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

7. Research and Scientific Terminology

Acronym	Full Name
PI	Principal Investigator
RA	Research Assistant
IRB	Institutional Review Board
IACUC	Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
NIH	National Institutes of Health
NSF	National Science Foundation
CDC	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
FDA	Food and Drug Administration
NCI	National Cancer Institute
NIAID	National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
NIGMS	National Institute of General Medical Sciences
REU	Research Experiences for Undergraduates
SURF	Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
SURP	Summer Undergraduate Research Program
REDCap	Research Electronic Data Capture
RCT	Randomized Controlled Trial
QI	Quality Improvement
EBM	Evidence-Based Medicine
PICO	Population/Patient/Problem, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome
CITI	Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative

8. Osteopathic Medicine Terminology

These terms are useful for applicants preparing for DO interviews, because osteopathic philosophy, training, and treatment methods frequently arise during admissions discussions.

Acronym	Full Name
DO	Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
OMM	Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine
OMT	Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment
OPP	Osteopathic Principles and Practice
OPP/OMM	Osteopathic Principles and Practice / Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine
COM	College of Osteopathic Medicine
SOMA	Student Osteopathic Medical Association
AACOM	American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
AOA	American Osteopathic Association
NBOME	National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners
COMLEX-USA	Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States
COCA	Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation

9. Medical School Curriculum and Residency

Acronym	Full Name
MS1–MS4	Medical Student Years 1–4, commonly used in MD programs
OMS-I–OMS-IV	Osteopathic Medical Student Years 1–4
PGY	Postgraduate Year
GME	Graduate Medical Education
ERAS	Electronic Residency Application Service
NRMP	National Resident Matching Program
SOAP	Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program
VSLO	Visiting Student Learning Opportunities
MSPE	Medical Student Performance Evaluation
OSCE	Objective Structured Clinical Examination
CBSE	Comprehensive Basic Science Examination
CBSSA	Comprehensive Basic Science Self-Assessment
SHELF	Informal term for subject examinations taken during clinical clerkships
STEP 1	USMLE Step 1
STEP 2 CK	USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge
STEP 3	USMLE Step 3
COMAT	Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Achievement Test
COMLEX Level 1–3	Levels of the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination
FREIDA	Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database Access

10. Healthcare Policy, Service, and Professional Development

Acronym	Full Name
CMS	Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
HHS	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
HRSA	Health Resources and Services Administration
AHRQ	Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
SDOH	Social Determinants of Health
HPSA	Health Professional Shortage Area
MUA	Medically Underserved Area
MUP	Medically Underserved Population
ACA	Affordable Care Act
CHIP	Children’s Health Insurance Program
QALY	Quality-Adjusted Life Year
RVU	Relative Value Unit
RBRVS	Resource-Based Relative Value Scale
PSLF	Public Service Loan Forgiveness
IDR	Income-Driven Repayment
NHSC	National Health Service Corps
VA	Department of Veterans Affairs

Acronyms

AAMC – Association of American Medical Colleges

AACOM – American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine

AACOMAS – American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service

AMCAS – American Medical College Application Service

CACMS – Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools

CASPer – Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics (Acuity Insights Situational Judgment Test)

COCA – Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation

LCME –  Liaison Committee on Medical Education

PREview – Professional Readiness Exam (AAMC Situational Judgment Test)

Medical School Admissions Intelligence Report

October 2, 2026 | MD & DO admissions

Approximately 58,000 MD applicants and 26,500 DO applicants for Fall 2026

Percent who applied and matriculated to MD and DO schools are approximately the same 43% – 44.5%.

1. Virtual Interviews Remain At Some Schools

Due to cost, access, equity, and environmental impact, the Association of American Medical Colleges continues to recommend virtual medical-school interviews with an opportunity for accepted students to visit afterward. Many schools are continuing this practice in 2026–27. For example, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis offers a Virtual Interview Experience, including two live Zoom interviews with admissions-committee faculty and optional virtual interactions with faculty and students.

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine is virtual for 2026–27 with one longer faculty interview plus one asynchronous interview. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine says all of its MD programs will continue virtual interviewing. Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine is conducting interviews virtually from September 2026 through February 2027.

Note: The “virtual interview” is not an “ordinary Zoom conversation.” They include live faculty interviews, student interviews, group components, MMIs, and asynchronous responses. Research each school specifically and individually before the interview.

2. PREview/CASPer – School-List Dilemma

AAMC’s 2026 PREview framework now recognizes four different categories:

1. PREview required.
2. PREview or CASPer recommended.
3. CASPer only.
4. No situational judgment test required.

Note: AAMC specifically warns applicants that medical schools may change requirements as they notify AAMC. Check each school closely since PREview participant does not mean you have to take the PREview…only if it says required. Also, for CASPer, Medical College of Wisconsin requires CASPer for the current cycle and explicitly says PREview will not substitute for CASPer. An interview will not be considered until MCW receives the CASPer score.

3. AACOMAS Timing: An Applicant Misconception

For 2026–27, AACOMAS opened for submission on May 4, 2026, and remains open until April 30, 2027. Its academic-update windows for summer grades are not in the initial application.

• September 1–October 9, 2026
• December 14, 2026–February 12, 2027
• March 15–June 11, 2027

That April deadline creates one of the most dangerous misunderstandings in DO admissions: “The deadline isn’t until spring, so I’m not late.” Technically correct; strategically a terrible miscalculation.

AACOM tells applicants to check individual schools for deadlines. For example, UNE explicitly encourages early completion to maximize consideration for interview invitations.

4. AMCAS Validates Faster After May/June

Validation Speed: AAMC’s September 30 status update showed AMCAS application processing is very fast. The enormous early-summer verification bottleneck is no longer the issue later in the cycle. Thus, don’t wait to submit because validation will take forever. It won’t. The bigger issue is whether an October application is strategically sensible at the schools being considered.

Fee Waivers: The 2027 AMCAS fees are $180 for the first school and $48 for each additional school. Fee Assistance covers one submission and as many as 20 school designations for approved applicants. Request a fee waiver if you feel you qualify.

5. Engineering/AI Applicants – New MD/MS Program

On September 22, Emory University School of Medicine and Georgia Institute of Technology announced a new five-year MD/MS in Robotics, with the first cohort beginning fall 2027. Students spend the first year at Georgia Tech studying robotics, including mechanics, controls, perception, AI, and human-robot interaction, followed by the MD curriculum at Emory while completing remaining MS work and a capstone. The website states, “Prior engineering or robotics training is not required.”

From an admissions standpoint, there is no separate initial application. Applicants apply to Emory MD, indicate interest in the pathway, and must first gain admission to Emory medicine. The program expects only about four to six students annually.

Watch medical-school developments. Medicine is beginning to create formal pathways for applicants whose undergraduate identities are engineering, computer science, AI, and robotics rather than the stereotypical biology-premed route.

6. Accreditation Status Changes

1. Belmont University’s relatively new Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine remains at Preliminary Accreditation after a February 2026 LCME survey. In summer 2026, the LCME placed the medical school on probation after determining the school was not fully compliant with certain accreditation standards. Belmont remains accredited and continues enrolling and educating students while addressing the deficiencies. Its next scheduled site visit, and earliest opportunity to have the probation designation removed, is in 2028.
2. Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine received Accreditation with Warning status from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation following COCA’s April 30–May 1, 2026 meeting. COCA’s public announcement identifies the warning but does not specify the deficiencies.

Neither status means “the school is closing,” and students should not leap to that conclusion. But accreditation status is legitimate due-diligence information, especially for new schools.

7. One MD NOT Yet A Choice

Texas A&M has the Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine, which is fully LCME accredited through 2028. Texas A&M  is seeking to start a second medical school that is not yet in the pre-accreditation stage. A&M’s School of Engineering Medicine reached LCME Candidate Status in July 2026. Candidate Status is not accreditation, and may not independently recruit or accept applicants. Students may still enter the existing EnMed track through Texas A&M’s accredited College of Medicine that offers an MS and MD.