Preparing for the Tulane University School of Medicine interview

Impressing the admissions committee at Tulane requires far more than memorizing your application. Successful candidates demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of Louisiana's unique healthcare ecosystem, including the ongoing challenges in the Gulf Coast region, public health initiatives in New Orleans, and how national healthcare policies specifically impact Southern communities.

Preparation for your Tulane interview should include researching the school's commitment to community engagement, service learning, and their distinctive approach to medical education that emphasizes early clinical exposure. Understanding Tulane's response to regional health crises—from Hurricane Katrina's lasting impact to addressing health disparities in underserved Louisiana populations—will enable you to provide thoughtful, contextual responses.

1. The Tulane MMI: Structure, Themes, and What They’re Really Testing

Tulane’s MMI features 8-10 stations blending classic ethical dilemmas with Louisiana-specific crises.

Key details:

• Format: 8-minute stations with 2 minutes prep. Recent prompts include:

  • “Prioritize ventilator access post-Hurricane Ida in a flooded ER with no power.”

  • “Convince a Voodoo practitioner in Treme to vaccinate their child.”

  • “Role-play breaking bad news to a fisherman whose cancer you suspect is linked to BP oil spill toxins.”

• Themes:

  • Disaster Ethics: Katrina’s shadow looms. Stations test triage skills and crisis leadership.

  • Cultural Brokerage: New Orleans’ Creole/Vietnamese/Cajun mosaic demands nuanced patient negotiation.

  • Structural Advocacy: They’ll probe your grasp of Louisiana’s policy failures and how physicians can disrupt them.

Insider Tip: Tulane’s MMI rewards “second-line thinking”—the ability to pivot like a jazz musician when scenarios escalate. Practice vocalizing your reasoning, even if uncertain.

2. Louisiana’s Healthcare Policy: Crawfish Boils and Coverage Gaps

Louisiana’s policy landscape is a study in contrasts: bold public health innovations clash with Deep South underinvestment. Master these three issues:

1. Medicaid Expansion & the “Louisiana Model”

• Louisiana expanded Medicaid in 2016 under Gov. John Bel Edwards, covering 530,000+ low-income adults—the largest enrollment surge in the South.

• Unique Twist: The state’s “Prescription for Health” program prescribes veggies(!) via food pharmacies—a model Tulane’s Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine pioneered.

• Current Crisis: Post-pandemic, 80,000+ face coverage loss due to bureaucratic red tape. Tulane’s Street Medicine teams serve these patients under I-10 overpasses.

2. Rural Healthcare Collapse

• 7 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, including St. Helena Parish’s only ER in 2023. Tulane’s Rural Health Leadership Program trains students to staff pop-up clinics in towns like Reserve (home to “Cancer Alley”).

• OPIOID SETTLEMENT GOLD RUSH: Louisiana gained $325M from lawsuits, funding mobile MAT (medication-assisted treatment) units. Tulane researchers found MAT reduces overdoses by 37% in parishes like St. Bernard.

3. Maternal Mortality: A Bayou Blood Crisis

• Black women in Louisiana die postpartum at 4x the rate of white women—the worst disparity in the U.S. Tulane’s Birth Equity Collaborative trains doulas in majority-Black neighborhoods like the 7th Ward.

• Abortion Bans & OB Flight: Louisiana’s near-total ban (2023) worsened OB-GYN shortages. Tulane grads now comprise 30% of rural family med providers delivering babies.

Tip: Cite Tulane’s Health Equity Office when proposing systemic fixes. Interviewers notice candidates who’ve studied their institutional levers.

3. Current Events & Social Issues: The NOLA Lens

Local Flashpoints

• Cancer Alley’s Death Toll: The 85-mile Petrochemical Corridor (St. John to St. James Parish) has cancer rates 50x the national avg. Tulane’s Environmental Law Clinic sued Formosa Plastics in 2023—a likely ethics discussion topic.

• Mental Health After Katrina 2.0: 40% of New Orleanians show PTSD symptoms 18 years post-Katrina. Tulane’s CrescentCare partners with jazz funerals for grief therapy.

• Youth Violence Epidemic: 2023 saw a 22% spike in teen shootings. Tulane’s ER teams pilot “hospital-based violence interruption” in Central City.

National Issues with Louisiana Stakes

• Climate Change & Vector-Borne Disease: Warming swamps fuel dengue and West Nile outbreaks. Tulane’s Vector-Borne Disease Center tracks infections in storm-flooded homes.

• Immigrant Health: 4% of Louisiana’s pop are immigrants, many undocumented. Tulane’s Catholic Charities Clinic offers TB screening to day laborers in Kenner.

Tip: Mention Tulane’s City Fellows Program to show you’ve researched their community-integrated curriculum.

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

1. “Why Tulane over other schools? How does our ‘Mission Street’ curriculum align with your goals?”

2. “How would you improve trust in medicine among Black communities in the 7th Ward?”

3. “A patient blames their diabetes on ‘voodoo curses.’ How do you respond?”

4. “Louisiana ranks 49th in mental health access. Design an intervention using Tulane’s resources.”

5. “Describe a time you adapted to a crisis. How does that relate to practicing here?”