Over the last decade, medical schools have sought to develop innovative curricula to address the physician workforce shortage, rising medical student debt, and burnout. Several schools developed accelerated, 3-Year MD curricula to address these pressing issues. Many of the programs include not only an accelerated curriculum, but also directed pathway progression into an affiliated residency program. Some schools track learners into family medicine and primary care and others to a wider range of specialties.
Accelerated medical pathway programs provide an individualized and efficient curriculum for student participation and remove barriers for progression along the continuum of medical education. As many as a third of US medical schools are in various stages of development of an accelerated curriculum. Increasing knowledge and implementation of these curricula have the potential to redefine traditional medical education.
This Article Collection will seek to build on the body of knowledge around accelerated medical pathway programs with attention to types of programs, outcomes, and consideration of perspectives from various stakeholders. It also aims to answer inquiries about student preparation for residency, impact to wellness, and workforce development.
The Collection seeks articles related to the following topics:
- Initiation of an Accelerated Medical Pathway Program
- Stakeholders
- Regulatory guidance
- Mission
- Curriculum development
- Admissions models
- Perspectives from various stakeholders
- Student/graduates of the program
- Faculty
- Coordinator
- Community Preceptor
- Residency Program Director
- Medical School Dean
- Challenges and strategies for success
- Impact of an Accelerated Medical Pathway Program on learner wellness
- Outcomes of Accelerated Medical Pathway Programs
- Workforce impact
- Community engagement in Medical Education
- Reflection from accelerated students and graduates
This Collection will welcome the following article submissions:
- Research Articles
- Reviews
- Short Communications
Dr. Coe is an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the University of North Carolina. She serves as the Director of the Fully Integrated Readiness for Service Training (FIRST) Program. The FIRST Program is an accelerated three-year medical school curriculum, linked to direct progression into a UNC-affiliated residency program, followed by three years of service to the state of North Carolina. Dr. Coe received her medical degree from the University of Washington and trained as a resident and Chief Resident at the University of North Carolina Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Hunsaker is a Professor of Family Medicine, and Founding Dean of the MCW-Green Bay 3-year accelerated campus. Professional interests and accomplishments include sustainable rural healthcare infrastructure, medical education, and global HRH-Human Resources for Health training and consultancy. The Green Bay Campus pioneered the whole campus model in which all students matriculate into the 3-year program leading to the MD degree. Green Bay is also one of the few programs which do not have a direct linkage to residency; students participate in the NRMP in the traditional “MATCH” rules.
Dr. Leong, Professor, Associate Vice-Chair for Education for the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Penn State College of Medicine, serves as the Assistant Dean for Pathways Innovation. She graduated from New York University School of Medicine and was trained at Swedish Hospital Family Practice Residency in Seattle, WA. To address physician shortage and rising cost of medical education, she developed and implemented 12 accelerated pathways where students complete medical school in 3 years followed by training in the associated Penn State residency programs. As the founding Editor-in-Chief for Aquifer Family Medicine, Dr. Leong led a team of educators to develop a set of virtual cases for the family medicine clerkship curriculum that is subscribed by 96% of medical schools across the country.
Dr. Fancher is Professor of Medicine, Associate Dean for Workforce Innovation and Education Quality Improvement, and Vice Chair for Workforce Diversity in the Department of Internal Medicine. The UC Davis Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care (ACE-PC) pathway is a partnership with Kaiser Permanente of Northern California that offers a three-year medical school curriculum for students committed to careers in primary care. Dr. Fancher served as PI for the AMA Accelerating Change in MedEd grant that established ACE-PC in 2013. Dr. Fancher received her medical degree from New York University School of Medicine and stayed there to complete her primary care internal medicine residency training.
Dr. Cangiarella is Professor of Pathology, Senior Associate Dean for Education, Faculty and Academic Affairs, Director of the Accelerated Three-Year MD Pathway and a graduate of NYU Grossman School of Medicine. The Accelerated Three-Year MD Pathway at NYU Grossman School of Medicine was the first in the country to have a directed pathway into all residency specialties. Dr. Cangiarella was a co-Principal Investigator for the Josiah Macy Foundation grant that created the Consortium of Medical Schools with Accelerated Pathway Programs (CAMPP). In this role, she leads a group of now 30 medical schools with three-year MD programs to establish best practices, assess outcomes of accelerated pathway programs and provide guidance to institutions considering the development of an accelerated pathway program.
Disclosure statement: the Guest Advisors have no conflicts of interest to disclose regarding this Collection.
All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisor for this collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member). Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.
The deadline for submitting manuscripts is October 4th, 2023.
