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Evaluation of student performance in combined baccalaureate-MD degree programs
L S Loftus1, T L Willoughby, A Connolly
1Council on Evaluation, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, USA.
Teaching and Learning in Medicine
|January 1, 1997
Summary
Combined baccalaureate-MD programs show lower attrition rates and comparable performance to traditional medical education. These programs successfully select and retain future physicians from high school.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Higher Education Studies
Background:
- Combined baccalaureate-MD degree programs emerged as an innovation in medical education during the 1960s and early 1970s.
- These programs were viewed as educational experiments requiring outcome evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the performance outcomes of students enrolled in combined baccalaureate-MD degree programs.
- To compare the academic and retention performance of combined-degree students with traditional premedical and medical students.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of performance outcomes for combined-degree programs from 1966 to 1996.
- Analysis of attrition rates and performance measures for students in combined-degree programs versus traditional pathways.
Main Results:
- Combined-degree students exhibited lower attrition rates compared to traditional premedical students.
- No significant differences in attrition were observed between combined-degree and traditional students during the medical phase.
- All performance measures indicated that combined-degree students achieved competency comparable to traditional medical students.
Conclusions:
- The support systems within Baccalaureate-MD programs effectively facilitate career retention in medicine.
- The success of these programs demonstrates the viability of selecting and educating future physicians directly from high school.
