Preparing for the University of Kentucky College of Medicine interview

Impressing the admissions committee at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine requires extensive knowledge of Kentucky's unique healthcare ecosystem. Successful applicants demonstrate familiarity with Appalachian health disparities, rural healthcare access challenges, the Commonwealth's response to the opioid epidemic, and Kentucky's distinctive health policy initiatives.

Your interview preparation should encompass understanding Kentucky's health rankings, socioeconomic factors influencing patient outcomes across the state, and recent healthcare legislation affecting both urban centers like Lexington and Louisville as well as underserved rural communities.

1. The UKY COM Panel Interview: Structure, Dynamics, and Hidden Benchmarks

UKY uses a panel format with 3-5 interviewers, typically including:

• A faculty physician (often rural health or primary care)

• A community partner (e.g., Appalachian Regional Hospital clinician)

• A medical student (frequently from the Rural Physician Leadership Program)

• A basic science researcher (probing critical thinking)

Key themes:

• Team-based care: How you’ll collaborate across disciplines (e.g., UKY’s dual MD/MBA program)

• Resourcefulness: Solutions for “healthcare deserts” like Owsley County (1 PCP per 3,200 people)

• Cultural humility: Working with Appalachian communities distrustful of outsiders

Insider Tip: Panels often include a “silent observer” assessing non-verbal cues. Nod when others speak, make eye contact with all members, and avoid fixating on the highest-ranking person.

2. Kentucky Healthcare Policy: Medicaid Expansion Meets Mountain Barriers

Kentucky is a national paradox: a Southern state with progressive coverage but dire rural disparities. Master these key policies:

1. Medicaid Expansion & the “KY Health Experiment”

Kentucky’s 2014 Medicaid expansion under Obamacare covered 500,000+ residents, but 16 rural hospitals still risk closure by 2025. UKY’s Center for Rural Health partners with ARH hospitals in Hazard to train telepsychiatry teams—critical when 54% of Appalachians live in mental health professional shortage areas.

2. Opioid Settlement Reinvestment: Beyond Pills

Kentucky is deploying $842M from opioid lawsuits to build recovery ecosystems. UKY’s PATHways Program offers MAT (medication-assisted treatment) via mobile units in Wolfe County, where overdose rates are 3x the national average.

3. SB 90 (2023): Mental Health in Schools

This law mandates suicide prevention training for teachers, yet 60% of Eastern Kentucky schools lack full-time counselors. UKY’s HANDS in Pediatrics places med students in schools like Leslie County High to screen for ACEs (adverse childhood experiences).

Tip: Name-drop UKY’s Center for Health Equity Transformation when discussing systemic fixes.

3. Current Events & Social Issues: The Kentucky Lens

Local Flashpoints

• Maternal Mortality: Black women in Kentucky die at 2.3x the rate of white women. UKY’s Health Equity + Access in the Rural South (HEARS) Initiative trains doulas in Martin County, where 35% of births are Medicaid-funded.

• Environmental Health: Appalachia’s legacy coal mining links to 12% higher cancer rates. UKY’s Appalachian Career Training in Oncology (ACTION) program recruits students from counties like Pike to address screening gaps.

• Diabetes Deserts: 38% of adults in Owsley County (KY’s poorest) have diabetes. UKY’s Farmers Market Rx prescribes veggies at London’s market—paired with cooking demos by med students.

National Issues with KY Stakes

• Abortion Access: Kentucky’s near-total ban (2022) increased ER visits for miscarriages by 40%. UKY OB-GYNs lead research on delayed care in border counties like Fulton, where patients seek help in Illinois.

• Immigrant Health: 4% of Kentuckians are immigrants, but 60% lack insurance in meatpacking hubs like Graves County. UKY’s Bluegrass Care Clinic offers bilingual HIV care—critical for Guatemalan migrants in Marshall County.

Tip: Reference UKY’s Underserved Pathway to showcase mission alignment.

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

1. “Why UK over Louisville? How does our Rural Physician Leadership Program fit your goals?”

2. “A patient in Hyden refuses opioids post-surgery due to family addiction history. How do you proceed?” 

3. “Design a mobile clinic for Appalachian harm reduction. What services?”

4. “Describe a time you adapted to a resource-limited setting.”

5. “Kentucky leads in cancer deaths. Propose a community intervention.”