How do Program Directors View 3 Year Med School Programs

[Shammyguy3]

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So I recently had the chance to interview at one of MCW's regional campuses, which is an accelerated 3 year medical school program. I loved it, and can really envision myself deciding to attend there over my in-state MD school (DISCLAIMER: yet to be accepted to MCW or my in-state MD, still waiting to hear post interview).

With this still up in the air, I am trying to figure out how likely it will be to match into a good residency program (primary care). How do program directors at residencies view these 3 year programs? I have done some research, and came across an article from a few years ago:

"And professionally, a 3-year program could put students at a disadvantage when competing in the residency match because programs 'not directly linked with three-year medical schools may not consider three-year students equally prepared and experienced, potentially putting the student at a competitive disadvantage in the match with those from four-year schools.'"
(The 3 Year Medical School: Is Shorter Good Enough?)


So I was wondering, as someone interested in primary care (Family Medicine specifically), would I be limited into which FM Residency program I could match (either by geography, reputation, academic versus community-based hospital) given that many of the rotations at MCW's regional campus is not with a residency team or affiliated teaching hospital?

 

[Raryn]

The above quote is a comment from one of the people interviewed for the article. Since there are few people from these programs who have been in or through residency, it is impossible to get any sense of how PDs view this. Your best bet is to call MCW and ask how their grads from the 3 year program have matched

Might not be particularly illuminating - they've graduated a single class from the MCW Green Bay Campus (20-something students) and zero classes from the MCW Central Wisconsin Campus.

 

[Med Ed]

So I was wondering, as someone interested in primary care (Family Medicine specifically), would I be limited into which FM Residency program I could match (either by geography, reputation, academic versus community-based hospital) given that many of the rotations at MCW's regional campus is not with a residency team or affiliated teaching hospital?

I doubt it would have much impact. If you're a good student then you'll be competitive for strong FM residencies regardless of whether your program is 3- or 4-year.

A fair amount of a 4-year program is "buffer" to allow people to decide on their respective specialties. If students commit to a certain path at the outset then fitting a solid education in to a shorter timeframe is certainly doable.