2025 AAMC Graduation Questionnaire Highlights: Part 2

Each year, students graduating from MD programs in schools of medicine in the United States are asked to complete a Graduation Questionnaire (GQ) by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the accrediting organization for medical education programs, expects the results of the GQ in addition to other data gathered by the School of Medicine (SOM) to be available to the school to make data-based decisions and improvements.

For the class of 2025, 150 of 167 (89.8%) UM SOM graduates completed the survey. Additionally, 17,409 students responded to the survey nationally, and these results are reported in such a way that allows comparison between our school and other schools of medicine. The national response rate was 80.6%.  Overall, 91% of UM SOM students agreed or strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the overall quality of their medical education; compared with 92% of students nationally.

This article focuses on areas related to the medical education curriculum. An article focusing on non-curriculum items was included in the November 2025 issue of this newsletter. Highlights represent students’ satisfaction (satisfied or very satisfied) or views about usefulness (moderately useful or very useful). Findings are organized into two categories: (1) preclinical curriculum and (2) clinical curriculum. Note that the preclinical curriculum was revised, and a systems-based curriculum was implemented beginning in the 2023-24 AY. The first graduates who would have experienced this revised preclinical curriculum is the Class of 2027. The 2025 AAMC GQ data reflects the prior preclinical curriculum.

For the preclinical curriculum, two content areas’ preparation for clinical clerkships and electives experienced a 10% or more increase from the previous year’s graduates; they are gross anatomy and pharmacology. Microanatomy/histology had a decline of 10% or more, since last year, for preparation for clinical clerkships and electives. Four areas were identified for significant need for improvement given their comparison with the national average; they are biostatistics and epidemiology, genetics, microanatomy/histology, and neuroscience. These content areas have undergone significant changes in the implementation of the revised preclinical curriculum. The first AAMC GQ data reflecting the revised preclinical curriculum will be available in 2027.

In the clinical curriculum two clinical areas experienced significant improvement since last year’s AAMC GQ. Neurology experienced an 8.2% increase in students reporting that they were observed taking relevant portions of patient history and a 7.3% increase in students’ satisfaction with effective teaching provided by residents. The surgery clerkship had increases of 10% or greater in four areas:

• Quality of the educational experience – 13.1%
• Students reported being observed taking relevant portions of patient history – 12.7%
• Students reported being provided mid-clerkship feedback – 10.6%
• Faculty provided effective teaching – 10% 

Clinical areas identified as needing improvement when compared with the national mean are family medicine, neurology, and psychiatry. The specific areas include:

• Educational experience
• Faculty provided effective teaching
• Residents provided effective teaching

Curriculum-related findings from the AAMC GQ are shared with SOM administration including department chairs and clerkship directors. When improvements are needed, SOM administration works with those leaders to develop action plans and identify interventions. This annual process is a standard part of our continuous quality improvement.