Fostering Collaboration between Undergraduate and Postgraduate Education Directors: An Essential Step to Developing a Continuum of Pediatric Education

Abstract

An article in Pediatric News challenged the benefit of the senior year of medical school.1 L.D. Britt, MD, MPH, chair of surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School, stated that “the most wasted year in all medical education is the fourth year of medical school” and eliminating fourth year would decrease student debt burden and make medical school more attractive. The president of the Association of American Medical Colleges, Darrell G. Kirch, MD, noted that some students would benefit from having the fourth year of medical school count as the first year of residency training.