Accelerated M.D./D.O. Programs

[MDDOMember]

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Hi. I'm new to the forum, and I wonder if anyone knows of any medical/osteopathic schools that currently offer an accelerated course of study (i.e., shorter than four years) toward an M.D. or a D.O.

Thanks.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

Hi. I'm new to the forum, and I wonder if anyone knows of any medical/osteopathic schools that currently offer an accelerated course of study (i.e., shorter than four years) toward an M.D. or a D.O.

Thanks.

LECOM offers a Primary Care Scholars Pathway, which is three years (you go year around and miss out on some clinical electives) but you must commit to primary care after your first semester in school.

 

[Rob C]

.

 

[deleted6669]

texas tech has a new 3 yr primary care md program.

 

[MDDOMember]

So, L.E.C.O.M. and Texas Tech offer three-year programs, but they require you to enter primary-care? Are you not allowed to enter a specialty, if you wish?

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

So, L.E.C.O.M. and Texas Tech offer three-year programs, but they require you to enter primary-care? Are you not allowed to enter a specialty, if you wish?

Correct. You should probably work on getting into medical school and then seeing how you can do in a four year program before thinking you can do it in less. There is a reason medical school is 4 years

 

[Law2Doc]

Correct. You should probably work on getting into medical school and then seeing how you can do in a four year program before thinking you can do it in less. There is a reason medical school is 4 years

Agreed. There used to be several accelerated MD programs for applicants who already had science PhDs but these fell out of favor in the 1980s and were disbanded by the LCME. The problem is that medicine is a fast evolving field, and there's already far too much to teach in a 4 year span to even consider compressing it down to 3 or less. A good argument could be made that it really should be 5+ years, given the quantity of material you really need to know as a practitioner, but that they are compressing it down to 4 years as is.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

Correct. You should probably work on getting into medical school and then seeing how you can do in a four year program before thinking you can do it in less. There is a reason medical school is 4 years

Well, the 3 year track is no different than the 4 year track when it comes to the basic sciences. Both tracks take 2 years to complete the basic sciences. The difference in the 3 year track comes when the clinical years come around. The 3 year track only requires you to do the mandatory clinical rotations (3rd year) and doesn't require you to do elective rotations (4th year). So, the the 3 year doesn't require you to learn more information in a shorter amount of time. I don't think Ross does either because you have summer sessions that are just as long as the fall and spring sessions.

Here's the PCP accelerated program timeline:
http://www.mutualgravity.com/sf.php?fn=0_76_public_images/pscp-flyer.pdf

 

[JaggerPlate]

Hi. I'm new to the forum, and I wonder if anyone knows of any medical/osteopathic schools that currently offer an accelerated course of study (i.e., shorter than four years) toward an M.D. or a D.O.

Thanks.

Pet peeve ...

No such thing as 'osteopathic school versus medical school.' 'Osteopathic school' is medical school. If you want to get more specific than that, you can discuss Allopathic (MD) medical schools versus Osteopathic (DO) medical schools, but doesn't change the fact that it's all 'medical school.'

 

[Total180]

Pet peeve ...

No such thing as 'osteopathic school versus medical school.' 'Osteopathic school' is medical school. If you want to get more specific than that, you can discuss Allopathic (MD) medical schools versus Osteopathic (DO) medical schools, but doesn't change the fact that it's all 'medical school.'

GAHH! Me too! My dad does this and it drives me crazy. And when I tell him it bothers me he says "you know what I mean"...and I just want to punch him.

 

[JaggerPlate]

GAHH! Me too! My dad does this and it drives me crazy. And when I tell him it bothers me he says "you know what I mean"...and I just want to punch him.

Hahaha, well if your Dad is anything like mine ... details aren't his strong suit. I attend KCOM aka A.T. Still University and my Dad came back frustrated from work one day because he couldn't remember the name of my medical school and told a group of colleagues that I was attending 'J.D. Zant University,' to which he received blank stares and had to confess that he was confused about the university title. How he got J.D. Zant from A.T. Still ... I'll never know, but take some solace knowing you aren't alone

 

[PlayUltimate15]

Hahaha, well if your Dad is anything like mine ... details aren't his strong suit. I attend KCOM aka A.T. Still University and my Dad came back frustrated from work one day because he couldn't remember the name of my medical school and told a group of colleagues that I was attending 'J.D. Zant University,' to which he received blank stares and had to confess that he was confused about the university title. How he got J.D. Zant from A.T. Still ... I'll never know, but take some solace knowing you aren't alone

This just made my day. Thank you!

 

[randomusername]

this just made my day. Thank you!

+1

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

Well, the 3 year track is no different than the 4 year track when it comes to the basic sciences. Both tracks take 2 years to complete the basic sciences. The difference in the 3 year track comes when the clinical years come around. The 3 year track only requires you to do the mandatory clinical rotations (3rd year) and doesn't require you to do elective rotations (4th year). So, the the 3 year doesn't require you to learn more information in a shorter amount of time. I don't think Ross does either because you have summer sessions that are just as long as the fall and spring sessions.

Here's the PCP accelerated program timeline:
http://www.mutualgravity.com/sf.php?fn=0_76_public_images/pscp-flyer.pdf

I was not attempting to take anything away from LECOM's PCSP pathway, and in fact nearly went this route myself until advised by many docs not to "pigeon hole" my future before I even enter medical school. In the long run, I'll probably regret I didn't as I've been looking at FP for a Loooong time.

The OP seemed disappointed he couldn't jump into a 3 year program so he/she could shine and show everyone how amazing he/she was and secure a triple board of Derm/Opth/Neurosurgery (yes I know this doesn't exist). My post was more aimed at the fact this guy put off the vibe "I can easily do medical school in less than 4 years why do I have to go for all 4"

 

[MDDOMember]

The OP seemed disappointed he couldn't jump into a 3 year program so he/she could shine and show everyone how amazing he/she was and secure a triple board of Derm/Opth/Neurosurgery (yes I know this doesn't exist). My post was more aimed at the fact this guy put off the vibe "I can easily do medical school in less than 4 years why do I have to go for all 4"

Kind of a jack-ass presumption to make based on what little I said. I simply asked whether anyone knew of accelerated M.D. programs — I'm unsure, and pretty uninterested in, how you filled in all the rest.
__________________________________________________

Now, first, thank you to everyone who's replied. Second, sorry for the multiple threads...

I'll look into the programs at L.E.C.O.M. and Texas Tech that have been mentioned. My concern is about becoming locked into a program I may eventually find is not best for me. I like primary care, and believe I want to enter it, but I acknowledge, too, things may change during the course of my study — though this may be a faster track to what I feel I want, it seems unfair to myself I should enter obligation to a field before even beginning my medical training. Still, the programs at least are worth my investigating.

As for why I'm interested in completing an M.D. or D.O. in three years rather than in four, well, who wouldn't be? If nothing else, it should be rather cheaper to do so (save a whole year of tuition, fees, living expenses accrued based on student loans, etc.).

 

[Kyrillex]

you can do med school in less than 4 years. i don't think it's an arrogant assumption that you can. there's already programs out there. duke university is only 3 years of med school +1 year of independent study. even though you still have to graduate in four years, they essentially condensed two years of book study into 1 year, start your rotations 2nd year, take 3rd year off to do w/e you want and finish rotations in 4th year. upenn and baylor also have condensed programs and other schools are leaning towards changing their curriculum.

i don't know if there are any more programs that allow you to graduate in less than 4 years but essentially, you do not need 4 years to finish med school. you can clearly and obviously do it in less. and it's not like graduates from these med schools are one of the worst in the nation.

 

[Slane]

The PCSP program at LECOM is three straight years. We keep on going through the summer between our first and second years, which allows us to start our clinical rotations in March, a full three months ahead of the other pathways. At the end of the first year, we have to sign a contract committing ourselves to the program (as this is when we get out of sync with the other pathways--it's like the point of no return.) The contract stipulates you'll serve in primary care for five years after completing your residency. If you default and do something else, you owe LECOM your fourth year of tuition ($26,000 or there abouts.) Honestly though, without any selective rotations, the odds of you matching anywhere but primary care aren't good anyways, so it's not even really a possibility with this pathway. We pretty much only do core rotations during our second and third year. We have two selectives, but they have to be internal medicine that will be beneficial to a primary care physician (so say you may do cardio and pulmo selectives to gain more experience in those areas.) Some of the core rotations are shortened, like we only do four weeks of surgery and I think OB is shortened as well--OMM and psych are only half days, with board review the other half days during those rotations.

Classes are pretty much all independent/directed study, so if you're not motivated and need lectures, it's probably not the best pathway for you. There is a lot of other things expected of you such as primary care conferences and ACOFP membership and meetings that come along with it at LECOM. All in all, I find it to be a really great pathway if you know for sure you want to do primary care. Unlike our classmates, we've been out rotating in clinical offices already, seeing patients and getting to help in diagnosing and treating. Most other LECOM students don't get that until Spring of their second year. If you're interested and have questions, PM me--I'd be more than happy to chat about it and fill you in on anything else.

 

[DocEspana]

Just want to reinforce that these 3 year programs are specific and limiting for primary care residency and 5 consecutive years of PCP practice. If you want to specialize, pretty much any specialty i can think up will earn more in one year above the PCP average earnings than the cost of another year of medical school.

Now admittedly that extra money will probably not be able to just be "cleaned excised" off the top of your earnings and applied immediately to the cost of your 4th year of medical school (especially with taxes on that money, and interest on that loan). But the point I'm really making is that if you were interested in a specialty it definitely pays for the extra year of attending 'normal length' training.

if PCP is what you want, more power to you. I'm a cutter-to-be, so PCP was never really even on my radar from day one.

 

[Slane]

Interest is where it kills you, on top of that fourth year of tuition, over a four to five year period of non-payment for a residency and fellowship.

 

[DocEspana]

Interest is where it kills you, on top of that fourth year of tuition, over a four to five year period of non-payment for a residency and fellowship.

well... you know. the difference in salary is estimated at 130,000+ a year, if i remember the recent SDN article on this correctly. (full disclosure: i dont know what the figure im citing considers a 'specialty' but it was a article on SDN about the lack of PCPs that stated the difference in average earnings per year vs specialists).

that difference will cover an entire three years of tuition and expenses (sans interest) right there. I'm not trying to start any sort of "PCP is a bad way to go" commentary. Just noting that there is a big (and undeserved) earnings discrepancy that definitely counterbalances the year saved and the interest.

 

[Slane]

Eh, it could go either way. There are tons of motives for choosing one way or the other. It's definitely just nice that there's an option for those of us that are completely sure about primary care. This is my eighth year of post-secondary education, and I'm more than ready to move on with my life and actually enter the workforce. I guess that extra year means more to me than it would for a traditional student that would be in their fourth year of medical school by now, about to graduate.

Back more towards the OP's original discussion, I highly doubt an accelerated program without this kind of restriction would ever be put into place. You just don't get a broad enough education in three years time to allow an unrestricted scope of residency possibilities, at least not without condensing the the classroom portion of the education to allow for more clinical experience in a wider variety of specialties. The consensus seems to be entirely against that option though, which kind of sucks for those that think they could manage it (except for maybe the Caribbean schools, but that's a whole different can of worms, of which an accelerated curriculum is usually not the biggest problem faced.)

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

Kind of a jack-ass presumption to make based on what little I said. I simply asked whether anyone knew of accelerated M.D. programs — I'm unsure, and pretty uninterested in, how you filled in all the rest.
__________________________________________________

Now, first, thank you to everyone who's replied. Second, sorry for the multiple threads...

I'll look into the programs at L.E.C.O.M. and Texas Tech that have been mentioned. My concern is about becoming locked into a program I may eventually find is not best for me. I like primary care, and believe I want to enter it, but I acknowledge, too, things may change during the course of my study — though this may be a faster track to what I feel I want, it seems unfair to myself I should enter obligation to a field before even beginning my medical training. Still, the programs at least are worth my investigating.

As for why I'm interested in completing an M.D. or D.O. in three years rather than in four, well, who wouldn't be? If nothing else, it should be rather cheaper to do so (save a whole year of tuition, fees, living expenses accrued based on student loans, etc.).

For anyone who hasn't begun medical school it is simply arrogant to think you can take a 4 years program and squish it into three without sacraficing something.

You can think my assumption is jackassish but I in-turn think your question was the same. Many studies have been put out questioning whether 4 years is enough to learn everything and while you're fairly sure you can do what it takes most 4 and many 5 or more years to do.

You obviously haven't done any research into your question (a quick google search would have found you these answers). This leads me to believe you haven't done the same into what medical school even entails and that the majority of people who were stellar in UG now feel overwhelmed or at very least insanenly busy during their FOUR years.

So maybe instead of me assuming where you are coming from, maybe you can answer this question.

What makes you feel you would be able to complete a medical school curriculum in 3 years without sacraficing something?

 

[DocEspana]

For anyone who hasn't begun medical school it is simply arrogant to think you can take a 4 years program and squish it into three without sacraficing something.

im going to cut the dude some slack. the excellerated programs dont cut out any pre-clinical education and the clinical education is where the lost year is located, but the remaining clinical education is highly focused on everything a PCP would face, rather than doing extensive study of specialties or surgery. You *could* do a 3 year deal and be as well trained as any other student if your only interest is in primary care (and so i'm only comparing their skills in primary care fields).

but you'd need someone who is fully and completely dedicated to primary care before even understanding what medicine is really about. Its a specific group i doubt more than a handful of people can actually fit into.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

im going to cut the dude some slack. the excellerated programs dont cut out any pre-clinical education and the clinical education is where the lost year is located, but the remaining clinical education is highly focused on everything a PCP would face, rather than doing extensive study of specialties or surgery. You *could* do a 3 year deal and be as well trained as any other student if your only interest is in primary care (and so i'm only comparing their skills in primary care fields).

but you'd need someone who is fully and completely dedicated to primary care before even understanding what medicine is really about. Its a specific group i doubt more than a handful of people can actually fit into.

He already mentioned he didn't have an interest in being "locked" into a PCSP type program, yet still wanted to do Medical School in three years. Again, with as rigorous as I've heard medical school is, I'm just curious why he thinks he has the ability to do something like this.

Additionally I was probably originally a little over-hostile to his OP because he originally (they lead back here now) posted the exact same thing in nearly every forum for his first post(s).

 

[DocEspana]

He already mentioned he didn't have an interest in being "locked" into a PCSP type program, yet still wanted to do Medical School in three years. Again, with as rigorous as I've heard medical school is, I'm just curious why he thinks he has the ability to do something like this.

Additionally I was probably originally a little over-hostile to his OP because he originally (they lead back here now) posted the exact same thing in nearly every forum for his first post(s).

well, in that case, rage to your hearts content.

 

[Slane]

but you'd need someone who is fully and completely dedicated to primary care before even understanding what medicine is really about. Its a specific group i doubt more than a handful of people can actually fit into.

A lot of the people in my pathway this year are nontraditional students that have prior medical experience, so I'll agree with that statement. The majority of our class didn't give the program so much as an afterthought because they had no idea what they would want to specialize in and didn't want to get locked into something early on--most were coming straight out of undergrad with no medical background whatsoever.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

The University of MN med school has a flex option, 3.5 to 6 yrs to finish...
But remember, finishing off cycle makes it hard to match... or so I've been told, that was the warning that came with going Carib and finishing in 3 yrs...

 

[MDDOMember]

For anyone who hasn't begun medical school it is simply arrogant to think you can take a 4 years program and squish it into three without sacraficing something.

You can think my assumption is jackassish but I in-turn think your question was the same. Many studies have been put out questioning whether 4 years is enough to learn everything and while you're fairly sure you can do what it takes most 4 and many 5 or more years to do.

You obviously haven't done any research into your question (a quick google search would have found you these answers). This leads me to believe you haven't done the same into what medical school even entails and that the majority of people who were stellar in UG now feel overwhelmed or at very least insanenly busy during their FOUR years.

So maybe instead of me assuming where you are coming from, maybe you can answer this question.

What makes you feel you would be able to complete a medical school curriculum in 3 years without sacraficing something?

Arrogance could have been spotted in my even softly insinuating I feel I don't need as long to complete a medical curriculum as do others; I did no such thing. Your jackassishness lay, and lies, in suggesting — without a clue or care to why I might be doing so — I'm stuck up simply for asking if programs exist wherein one could achieve an M.D. in a shorter-than-traditional time. What makes me think I could do so? If they're out there (and it seems, from the replies here, they are, although there are not very many of them), why should I feel I'm incapable of meeting the requirements of such an accelerated course of study?
_______________________________________

Anyway, thanks again to those who made the suggestions they did. I've begun talking with L.E.C.O.M.'s admissions office, and I shall wait to see what their recommendation and advice are on this matter.

 

[PlasticMan]

NYCOM has accelerated programs BS/DO in 7 years with SUNY New Paltz and also NYIT.

 

[Slane]

NYCOM has accelerated programs BS/DO in 7 years with SUNY New Paltz and also NYIT.

That's great for high school students looking early but not so helpful for the premeds on here that are likely most of the way through their undergraduate education already. I'm pretty sure Youngstown State University has a similar program that feeds into NEOUCOM for a seven-year track (it's an MD program though.)

 

[MedicineMike]

A lot of NY schools (MD mostly) participate in a CUNY-Sophie Davis 2yr Biomedical program in which students do 2 years undergrad and then go to medical school and start their 3rd year there at whatever med school they get into. I am an analyst at a top 20 New York MD school and we used to accept students from this program until around 2000 due to their performance (or lack there of)

 

[MDDOMember]

That's great for high school students looking early but not so helpful for the premeds on here that are likely most of the way through their undergraduate education already. I'm pretty sure Youngstown State University has a similar program that feeds into NEOUCOM for a seven-year track (it's an MD program though.)

Right: I was aware a few medical schools do offer so-called "accelerated" or "fast-track" programs for undergraduate students, but really these are, I feel, misnomers: In these courses of study, applicants simply complete three, rather than four, years of under-grad. work; thereafter, the time spent earning an M.D. is the traditional (four years)+(internship)+(residency)+(etc.) amount, only the students are granted a B.S., as well, by the college of medicine.

As well, I happen to feel (and many may disagree with me) it is a poor choice for a student to be so, shall we say, "focused" on his or her medical career that he or she forgoes the numerous offerings of under-graduate college. (To those eager to point out the irony in my saying this, I'll reiterate, I was seeking information about accelerated courses of study toward an M.D., not programs that omit any material on the way there.)

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

Arrogance could have been spotted in my even softly insinuating I feel I don't need as long to complete a medical curriculum as do others; I did no such thing. Your jackassishness lay, and lies, in suggesting — without a clue or care to why I might be doing so — I'm stuck up simply for asking if programs exist wherein one could achieve an M.D. in a shorter-than-traditional time. What makes me think I could do so? If they're out there (and it seems, from the replies here, they are, although there are not very many of them), why should I feel I'm incapable of meeting the requirements of such an accelerated course of study?
_______________________________________

Anyway, thanks again to those who made the suggestions they did. I've begun talking with L.E.C.O.M.'s admissions office, and I shall wait to see what their recommendation and advice are on this matter.

Have you heard if this new fangled program called Google? No? Then you were completely correct to come here and make a username and post the same question in every single forum on SDN.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=3+year+do+program&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&oq=
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=3+year+md+program&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=g1g-m1&aql=f&oq=

 

[MDDOMember]

Have you heard if this new fangled program called Google? No? Then you were completely correct to come here and make a username and post the same question in every single forum on SDN.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=3+year+do+program&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&oq=
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=3+year+md+program&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=g1g-m1&aql=f&oq=

Google's a program? Live, and learn. Thanks.