As the new school year approaches, medical students across the nation are being forced to put their health at risk to receive an unnecessary and potentially harmful vaccine if they wish to continue their educational path of becoming a doctor.
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the leading governing body for medical education in the United States, recently added the Covid-19 bivalent booster to its standardized immunization form, a list of recommended vaccines used to guide medical schools on required vaccinations for students. Although the adoption of this form by medical schools is optional, this document is highly influential as some schools use the form as school policy for the vaccinations required of incoming medical students. Students may have the option to request a waiver for the Covid shot, but at some universities, the only exceptions permitted must be medical and comply with CDC guidance on what is considered a contraindication.
Additionally, many schools use this form for visiting students who wish to complete an away rotation (an opportunity for fourth-year medical students to work in a residency department at another medical school). This opportunity is extremely important for students as it is like a month-long interview at the program where they hope to receive their postgraduate training. Now, students who wish to complete their away rotation at any of the schools listed on the AAMC registry must receive the bivalent booster.
As a current student at an institution that is part of the AAMC, I’m disappointed that the
