Student evaluation of accelerated program at the University of Miami

The University of Miami School of Medicine has an accelerated, six-year B.S.-M.D. program called the Honors Program in Medicine (HPM). In 1985 the HPM and traditional program students were surveyed at the end of their first year in medical school regarding their opinions about accelerated medical education. Eighty-seven percent of the traditional students felt that HPM students had ability equal to that of the average medical student (that is, neither more nor less ability), but 41 percent felt that the HPM students were less mature than the average class member. The traditional students felt the HPM students were required to follow a rigid collegiate curriculum (76 percent) and had an inadequate nonscience background (68 percent) and that the HPM would negatively affect both the future professional competence of HPM participants (59 percent) and the medical profession (34 percent). A larger percentage of the HPM than the traditional students (63 versus 48 percent) reported earning more than a minor in nonscience subjects, and fewer HPM than traditional students (9 versus 36 percent) felt that pressure to maintain a high grade-point average limited their selection of college courses. The HPM students felt that they were well prepared for medical school academically (82 percent) and emotionally (91 percent). The HPM students excelled academically in college and in the preclinical curriculum.