The University of Tennessee's accelerated family medicine residency program 1992-2002: an 11-year report

In 1992, with the approval of the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) (formerly known as the American Board of Family Practice), we established an accelerated residency program (ARP) involving five residency programs at the University of Tennessee (UT). An accredited resident can complete medical school and residency in a combined total of 6 years. This paper is a report of our experience with the ARP. Our objective was to determine if accelerated residents performed as well as or better than non-accelerated residents.

Students are selected for the ARP on the basis of academic achievement, life experience, interviews, and commitment to family medicine. For the accelerated residents, we tracked outcomes measures, including medical school grade point average (GPA), US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores, ABFM In-training Examination scores, and board certification status.

From 1992 to 2002, 47 students entered the ARP at five UT residency programs. Five students did not complete the program. The average entering GPA was 3.17, and the average USMLE Step I score was 207. The accelerated residents, on average, performed better on ABFM In-training Examinations in the first and third years of residency than the non-accelerated residents did. Accelerated residents have a 100% ABFM certification rate. A total of 76% practice in Tennessee, and 65% began practice in a rural county.

The UT ARP has been an effective means for allowing medical students to complete their family medicine training in 6 years. Accelerated residents have performed as well as or better than non-accelerated residents on standardized testing.