Preparing for the Saint Louis University School of Medicine interview

Maximizing your interview performance at Saint Louis University School of Medicine requires robust knowledge of Missouri's healthcare environment, the Midwest's distinct medical challenges, and SLU's Jesuit tradition of service-oriented medicine focused on caring for underserved populations.

This comprehensive resource offers valuable insights into St. Louis's urban health disparities, Missouri's evolving Medicaid landscape, and the unique healthcare needs of both rural and metropolitan Midwest communities.

1. SLU’s MMI Structure & Themes

SLU typically uses 6-8 stations, each 8-10 minutes long, with scenarios emphasizing:

1. Health Equity in Action

   • Example: “Design a mobile clinic for undocumented immigrants in South City, where 30% lack health insurance.”

   • Hidden Agenda: Tests knowledge of SLU partnerships like Affinia Healthcare and CareSTL Health.

2. Ethical Dilemmas with Jesuit Values

   • Example: “A patient refuses a blood transfusion due to religious beliefs. How do you reconcile cura personalis (care for the whole person) with their autonomy?”

   • SLU Twist: Interviewers may role-play as skeptical family members to probe your conflict-resolution skills.

3. Community Asset Mapping

   • Example: “Reduce lead poisoning in Old North St. Louis, where 8.5% of kids have elevated blood lead levels. Partner with one local organization—explain your choice.”

   • Key Insight: Name-drop SLU’s Healthy Kids STL program or Urban Harvest STL (urban farming initiative) to showcase local knowledge.

4. Policy Pragmatism

   • Example: “Missouri’s Medicaid expansion covers 275,000+ adults, but 20,000 are stuck in a coverage gap. Propose a stopgap solution for North City.”

   • Data Hook: Cite SLU’s 2024 study showing a 22% drop in hypertension-related ER visits post-expansion in Pagedale.

5. Bilingual/Cultural Competency

   • Example (in Spanish): “Explain diabetes management to a monolingual Spanish-speaking patient in Dutchtown. Use non-medical terms.”

   • SLU Focus: Tests fluency with St. Louis’ Bosnian, Hispanic, and Vietnamese communities.

Insider Tip: SLU prioritizes candidates who frame solutions through community asset mapping—highlighting local orgs like Urban Harvest STL instead of generic “food pantry” references.

2. Missouri’s Healthcare Policy: Show-Me State Contradictions

MO balances progressive voter initiatives with legislative resistance. Master these three issues:

1. Medicaid Expansion (2020)

Voters approved expansion despite state GOP opposition, covering 275,000+ low-income adults. Yet 2023 funding battles left 20,000 in limbo.

• SLU Connection: SLU physicians staff Grace Hill Health Centers, where 60% of patients rely on Medicaid.

Tip: Cite SLU’s 2024 study on Medicaid expansion reducing ER visits for hypertension by 22% in Pagedale.

2. Rural Hospital Crisis

10 MO hospitals closed since 2014, including Pemiscot Memorial (2023), forcing Bootheel patients to drive 90+ minutes for care.

• SLU’s Response: The RURAL Pathway Program trains students in telepsychiatry for counties like New Madrid (1 psychiatrist per 15,000 people).

3. Opioid Settlement Reinvestment

MO is allocating $458M from opioid lawsuits to harm reduction.

• Local Flashpoint: St. Louis County installed naloxone vending machines in Ferguson—opposed by some council members citing “moral hazard.”

Tip: Reference SLU’s partnership with Assisted Recovery Centers of America (ARCA) in Dutchtown.

3. Current Events & Social Issues: The St. Louis Lens

Local Flashpoints

• Lead Poisoning: 8.5% of North City kids have elevated blood lead levels. SLU’s “Healthy Kids STL” screens children at Soulard Farmers Market.

• Maternal Mortality: Black women in St. Louis die postpartum at 3x the rate of white women. SLU’s “Birth Equity Initiative” trains doulas in Walnut Park.

• Mental Health in Schools: Jennings School District (40% Medicaid-enrolled) partners with SLU’s “Mindful Teens” program for trauma-informed care.

National Issues with MO Stakes

• Abortion Access: MO’s near-total ban shifted demand to Illinois. SLU OB-GYNs lead research on delayed prenatal care in low-income patients.

• Immigrant Health: St. Louis’s Bosnian community (largest in the U.S.) faces high diabetes rates. SLU’s “Global Health Collaborative” runs bilingual clinics in Bevo Mill.

• Climate Health: 2023 floods displaced 800+ in Valley Park. SLU’s ER saw a 300% spike in asthma cases from mold exposure.

Tip: Name-drop SLU’s Health Resource Center in Hyde Park—a student-run clinic for uninsured patients—when discussing hands-on experience.

4. The 5 Questions Saint Louis University School of Medicine is most likely to ask during your medical school interview

1. “Why SLU over other Midwest schools? How does cura personalis align with your goals?”

2. “Design an intervention to reduce lead poisoning in Old North St. Louis.”

3. “A patient refuses the COVID vaccine citing distrust of ‘big pharma.’ How do you respond?”

4. “How should SLU address racial bias in maternal mortality rates?”

5. “Describe a time you advocated for someone from a radically different background.”