Is it possible to make an appeal?

[mrb19]

On Friday, I was sent a rejection email from one of the schools that I applied to this cycle. The email read as follows:

"The Admissions Committee has reviewed your submitted application materials and regrets to inform you that your application does not meet our minimum academic standards. We cannot consider your application at this time.

The program requires a minimum of 500 hours of direct patient care experience in a medical facility, within the past 5 years. Your hours of direct patient care experience did not meet this minimum standard. 

Remember, for hours to qualify, an applicant must be in a medical facility and must be either giving care or observing care being given to a patient. Not all health care positions can or will provide the appropriate experience."

I have worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator at a children's hospital for over a year now. I was hoping to count those hours towards my direct patient care hours, but now I am questioning whether I explained my job responsibilities very well on my application, and if there is anything that I may be able to do now to appeal this decision. While my job has a variety of responsibilities, I do spend at least half of my time screening patients/gathering data from the EMR, enrolling patients, performing follow-up visits, interacting with physicians and other staff. I feel that I have gathered valuable clinical experience in my job.

Is there anything that I can do to try to appeal this decision? Has anyone tried to appeal a rejection before? If so, how did you go about it and what was the result?

[LeQuack]

It's probably too late at this point. There are thousands of other applicants who are applying with the exact type of medical experience they are looking for. I would try to call and email schools who are still reviewing your application and clarify, assuming you can't update your CASPA application any longer.

[beattie228]

I don't anticipate an appeal having a positive impact on the decision.

 

I agree with the above about contacting the school via email to specify if your patient contact hours do not count towards the minimum as well as clarifying the things you've done in regards to patient contact. I suspect the hours weren't overlooked, but rather your position doesn't meet the requirements set forth by the program.

[UGoLong]

Appealing is very much of a long shot. There is no due process in the admission process; each school takes its best shot at picking its best applicants.

I guess that I'm not surprised at your application experience. While your clinical research position gets you involved with patients, it is likely much more structured than most of the other applicants might have. RNs, EMTs, PCAs -- even scribes in the ER (not accepted by all programs) -- all get to deal with a parade of patients with different conditions, varying degrees of urgency, and hands-on care.

I'd consider expanding your experience, though there is a chance that a program will accept what you've been doing.

Good luck.

[NSYPAC]

I think I know what school you're talking about. I got a rejection as well, but it turned out that they overlooked my hours of patient care experience as a MA. Shortly after, they re-evaluated my application and sent me the supplemental application. I think it doesn't hurt to try to appeal your case, just email them directly and explain why you think your hours count towards the patient care experience. Good luck!

[8404PA]

On 8/28/2017 at 10:07 AM, mrb19 said:

Clinical Research Coordinator

screening patients/gathering data from the EMR, enrolling patients, performing follow-up visits, interacting with physicians and other staff.

I like what NSYPAC had to say. Same thing kind of happened to me - or similar thing. I got over looked by the program I'M IN because they didn't recognize my "Human Structure and Function" 1 and 2 class as anatomy and physiology 1&2 because it was called something else. Basically it's my university's higher level class for the physiology majors. So I called and because I'm a vet and they're a vet friendly school, took a look again at my app and I had to send them syllabi ect... and they ended up taking me. 

NOW let me play devil's advocate to dissect this. 

direct patient care - hands on care and direct intervention on clinical outcome via clinical decisions you make/preform. 

• I dont think evaluating information from an EMR fits that definition 
• Enrolling patients doesn't fit that definition
• What constitutes "preforming follow-up visits"? Isn't that the providers role?
• Interacting with physicians - again, doesn't satisfy direct patient care. 

considering your explanation laid out above, I don't think you've fulfilled the definition as they use it. I'm not devaluing your experience or saying it won't help you. Just that I don't think it's direct patient care from a providers prospective and you may be using semantics to argue their validity. 

 

good luck!! Defiantly appeal! Because if you don't you'll for sure not get in. 

[mrb19]

Thank you everyone for your feedback! I actually did end up sending an email to admissions to argue my case. I did not specifically ask for an appeal in my email, but instead just expanded on my job responsibilities. I also asked for further clarification for what they were looking for from their end. They responded a few days later asking for my permission to send my application, along with my email, back to admissions for a second look!