PURPOSE
Pre-matriculation courses (PMC) are utilized by nearly one-quarter of U.S.
medical schools to prepare incoming students for success. While PMCs are
particularly effective for academically disadvantaged learners, many PMCs
last several weeks and are not feasible within compressed academic calendars.
Building on last year’s promising findings, we evaluated a second
implementation of an accelerated, three-day PMC offered to incoming students
in the Master’s in Medical Physiology (MMP) program at our institution. The
MMP program enrolls academically disadvantaged students into first-year
medical school courses alongside medical student peers. The addition of a
second cohort expanded our study population and strengthened the consistency
of observed outcomes, allowing a more robust evaluation of the accelerated
PMC’s effectiveness.
METHODS
This year’s PMC incorporated enhanced hands-on components to promote
practical application of academic skills, greater structure in peer
mentorship, and immediate access to learning resources. Daily programming
targeted time management, study habits, and test taking. To apply these
skills, students engaged with four hours of medical school lectures and
completed a formative quiz on the third day. Students completed entrance and
exit surveys assessing readiness for medical school courses. Academic
performance on exams and first-year courses was compared with prior MMP and
medical student cohorts and current medical student peers.
RESULTS
Across two consecutive cohorts, student confidence in time management,
study habits, and test taking consistently improved following the PMC. Early
performance data from this second cohort remains promising, with PMC
participants outperforming previous MMP cohorts and performing at levels
comparable to medical student peers, despite lower undergraduate GPAs and
MCAT scores.
CONCLUSIONS
Findings from this second PMC cohort, supported by an expanded study
population, demonstrate that an accelerated, skills-focused PMC remains an
effective intervention. The PMC enhances student confidence and early
academic performance among academically disadvantaged students in first-year
medical school courses.