Students in accelerated programs perform same as med-school peers

A study in Academic Medicine found that students in an accelerated baccalaureate-MD program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine had similar academic performance outcomes as their peers not in the accelerated program.

Students in the accelerated program attend undergraduate college for three years before fully matriculating into Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Unlike their traditional med school peers, accelerated students are not required to sit for the MCAT. Students in the accelerated program also have a lower GPA to maintain to stay in the program compared with the minimum GPA most students need to get admitted to medical school. Once they matriculate into medical school, accelerated program students fully integrate into their medical class and complete the same four-year requirements for medical school as their peers.

“The need for physicians who are compassionate, team-oriented lifelong learners may not be best supported by a premedical experience that emphasizes competitiveness for high GPA and top MCAT scores,” the study said.
 

Source: American Medical Association