MCW researchers call for evidence-based discussion on advantages and challenges of three-year medical school curriculum
Driven by mounting student debt and a projected physician shortage, interest in a three-year medical school curriculum has recently resurfaced. Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) are calling for an evidence-based discussion on the advantages and challenges of the three-year curriculum model.
This perspective was recently published in Academic Medicine, a journal published by the Association of American Medical Colleges. John R. Raymond, Sr., MD, professor of medicine, president and CEO of MCW, is lead author of the paper.
Examining previously published findings, including studies on three-year curricula in U.S. medical schools in the 1970s and 1980s, two Canadian medical schools with more than four decades of experience with three-year curricula, and accelerated family medicine and internal medicine programs, MCW researchers found evidence suggesting three-year curriculum programs are viable. They also describe new three-year programs that are being implemented at eight U.S. medical schools, including MCW’s regional campuses in Green Bay and Central Wisconsin.
MCW matriculated its first class at its MCW-Green Bay regional campus in July of 2015, enrolling 26 students in a three-year Discovery curriculum, a calendar-efficient schedule spanning 36 months. This curriculum is achieved by reducing the number of electives and the length of traditional medical school breaks, allowing students to graduate sooner and begin practicing medicine one year earlier. MCW-Green Bay students are trained to practice as primary care physicians, general surgeons or psychiatrists. Set to matriculate its first class in 2016, MCW-Central Wisconsin will offer the same three-year curriculum. MCW now has the largest cohort of students enrolled in a three-year medical school track in the U.S.
“We believe it is time for key stakeholders to engage in a well-informed discussion about the merits and challenges of a three-year medical school curriculum,” said Dr. Raymond. “This ongoing dialogue is necessary in light of the expected physician shortage and efforts to ease the burden of growing educational debt.”
Co-authors of the perspective include Joseph E. Kerschner, MD, professor of otolaryngology and communication sciences, dean of the school of medicine; William J. Hueston, MD, professor of family and community medicine, senior associate dean of the school of medicine; and Cheryl A. Maurana, PhD, professor of population health, vice president for academic outreach, and director of Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment, are co-authors.
About the Medical College of Wisconsin
The Medical College of Wisconsin is the state’s only private medical school and health sciences graduate school. Founded in 1893, it is dedicated to leadership and excellence in education, patient care, research and community engagement. More than 1,200 students are enrolled in MCW’s medical school and graduate school programs in Milwaukee, and 26 medical students are enrolled at MCW-Green Bay. A regional medical education campus is scheduled to open in Central Wisconsin in 2016. MCW’s School of Pharmacy will open in 2017 or 2018 with an initial class size of 60 students. A major national research center, MCW is the largest research institution in the Milwaukee metro area and second largest in Wisconsin. In FY 2013-14, faculty received approximately $154 million in external support for research, teaching, training and related purposes, of which approximately $138 million is for research. This total includes highly competitive research and training awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Annually, MCW faculty direct or collaborate on more than 2,000 research studies, including clinical trials. Additionally, more than 1,350 physicians provide care in virtually every specialty of medicine for more than 425,000 patients annually.
