A foreign medical school transfer program: student performance and career choices.

Abstract

U.S. medical students who have been unable to gain acceptance into medical schools have long sought alternative pathways into American medical practice. The Medical College of Georgia (MCG) has had a transfer program since 1977 to facilitate entry of Georgia Transfer students into the third-year clinical rotations. After completing a remedial program of three to five months, transfer students have entered the third year and performed similarly to regular MCG students. Evaluation of 31 students who have graduated and for whom data are available shows no significant difference in performance when compared to other MCG students in terms of clinical grade point averages and NBME Part 2 scores. These students were also similar to their MCG peers in the number entering residencies within the state.