Longitudinal Assessment and Perceptions of Medical Post Baccalaureate Students

Abstract

Incoming medical students arrive from diverse academic backgrounds and different levels of preparedness for the challenges of medical school. These students face major academic and lifestyle transitions in order to be successful in the fast-paced medical school curriculum. The goal of the medical post baccalaureate (PB) program at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) is to prepare students (often with below-average grade point average (GPA) and Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores) for medical school course content and aid these students in the development of appropriate time-management and study skills. It was hypothesized that graduates of LECOM’s PB program would perform as well as their non-PB classmates. Analysis of longitudinal study data revealed that LECOM PB students matriculated medical school with undergraduate GPAs and MCAT scores significantly lower than their non-PB classmates. However, LECOM PB graduates performed statistically similar to non-PB classmates on their step 1 board examination, at the end of their second year of medical school. Additionally, survey results suggest that LECOM PB graduates perceived they were better prepared for multiple aspects of medical school compared to their peers. These findings suggest that a 1-year PB program, heavy in basic biomedical science, prepares students for academic and social challenges they will face in medical school.