Purpose
Creating a 3-year medical school curriculum, that is competency-based and leads to residency in primary care can provide improved outcomes by decreasing the cost of student debt burden, increasing the Primary care (or Family Medicine) workforce in high-need areas, and allowing students to start their careers earlier.
Method
3 models of accelerated medical school pathway programs will be discussed. All three models needed to follow the LCME guidelines for an alternate track. 1. 130 curricular weeks 2. Same assessments as the 4-year program, yet do not have to be on the same timeline 3. Complete the same required curriculum and 4. Complete the same requirements for graduation. Surveys were sent to each program in the CAMPP consortium yearly to collect data. The data collected recorded the number of students in the program, whether there was an associated residency program, scholarship opportunities, or other funding, the number of students who successfully graduated, the number of students who went to the four-year program, and the number of students who left the accelerated program for another reason.
Results
The work of the Consortium for Accelerated Medical Pathway Programs (CAMPP) has shown that these programs have equivalent performance on residency milestones, decreased debt with about $240,000 net present value for students, similar rates of deceleration as four-year programs, increased diversity for the medical school, residency, and the community, and retention in areas of high need.
Conclusions
The development of a 3-year program in primary care, from recruitment to graduation has many benefits. Authors will be able to discuss the designs, possible do’s and don'ts, and identify local barriers and strategies to overcome them.