The recently-released 2013 Medical School Graduation Questionnaire provides aggregate data from graduating students (82% participated nationally) at the 130 U.S. medical schools accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, as well as individual data to each of the participating schools, including UVM.

One hundred students (94%) from the UVM Class of 2013 who participated in the GQ survey reported high satisfaction rates with their pre-clerkship and clinical clerkship experiences and felt more prepared than their national counterparts to enter residency. Highlights of the new GQ include:

• High Overall Satisfaction Rates: Responding to the statement “Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of my medical education,” 96 percent of students from the UVM Class of 2013 agreed or strongly agreed, versus 89 percent of their peers nationally. 
• Basic Science and Clinical Relevance: 90 percent of UVM graduating students agreed or strongly agreed that the basic science curriculum has clinical relevance, versus just 70 percent of their peers nationally. Additionally, 88 percent of UVM students felt basic science content provided preparation for clerkships, versus 67 percent of students nationally.
• Advanced Integration: The UVM Class of 2013 reported that the final year was helpful for preparation for residency (87 percent agreed or strongly agreed, versus 79 percent of their peers nationally) and an impressive 96 percent of UVM students felt elective time was adequate versus just 77 percent of students nationally.
• Growth in Interprofessional Health Education: Nationally, 73 percent of students said “Yes,” to “Have you participated in any required curricular activities where you had the opportunity to learn with students from different health professions?” indicating a marked growth in students’ reports of their involvement in interprofessional learning activities in the last three years. At UVM, 87 percent of graduating students responded “Yes” to this question, significantly above their national peers.

Since it was established in 1978 by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the Graduation Questionnaire (GQ) has been a tool used by medical schools, faculty, students, researchers, and the LCME to identify and address issues critical to the future of medical education and the well-being of medical students, and for benchmarking and improving medical education.