ArticlePloS one2026
First-generation medical school applicants: A quantitative study designed to identify areas of educational support.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
First-generation (First Gen) students are unique medical school applicants. Due to their lived experience, they approach patient care by prioritizing trust, comfort and understanding. They have proven ability to overcome obstacles and were found to be more resilient than their continuing generation (Cont Gen) peers. Despite these notable attributes, they face unique challenges in gaining medical school acceptance. There are very few quantitative studies examining this student subpopulation, and our study identifies characteristics of first-generation medical school applicants while highlighting areas of needed support. This cross-sectional study used deidentified Application and Matriculating Student Questionnaire survey data that was obtained from the AAMC for 286,656 total applicants for the 2017-2024 period, in which 12.5% identified as First Gen. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U, independent-samples t-tests, and Chi-square tests were performed to define medical school applicant characteristics, evaluate applicants' motivations to study medicine, and obstacles to medical school acceptance. All First Gen applicants who reported socioeconomic status (SES) come from low SES backgrounds and are motivated to study medicine by establishing a secure future, eliminating career debt, and affecting social change. First Gen applicants had lower acceptance (43% vs. 57%, p < 0.001) and matriculation rates (42% vs. 56%, p < 0.001). Obstacles to admission include First Gen and low SES statuses, age at matriculation, and time spent in family obligations, each significantly associated with lower acceptance rates (p < 0.001). First Gen medical school applicants and matriculants face disproportionate challenges as they navigate careers in medicine. This diverse group of medical school applicants has much to contribute to the future of medicine. Our study highlights a continued need for academic intervention to reduce barriers in the pre-matriculation stage and throughout medical training for First Gen medical school applicants and matriculants.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.