Changing Premed Requirements and the Medical Curriculum

Student- and Faculty-Reported Importance of Science Prerequisites for Osteopathic Medical School: A Survey-Based Study

“…Our results concur with much of the literature from the past decade that suggests entering students should have a strong basis in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, molecular biology, and physiology. 2,3,5,6,16,17 These findings are reflected in recent prerequisite changes for many medical school admissions criteria. Approximately 80% of allopathic medical schools either require or highly recommend biochemistry, 18 with close to 14% of osteopathic medical schools requiring this course for admissions.…”

Courses that Impact the Terminal Efficiency in the Dentistry Career at the University of Costa Rica (2007-2014)

“…This is particularly important because the introductory chemistry course is a part of scientific-oriented university programs (22). Internationally, there are studies indicating that poor performance in chemistry courses was one of the factors influencing students to drop out of their studies (23)(24)(25).…”

“…Los cursos de Química General y Química Orgánica fueron los que tuvieron menor porcentaje de éxito total, lo anterior podría deberse a que en Costa Rica hay un estudio que menciona que los estudiantes de secundaria tienen una deficiente calidad en la formación en esta área lo cual es muy importante (21), ya que el curso inicial de química forma parte en las carreras universitarias de corte científico (22). A nivel internacional, hay estudios que indican que un bajo rendimiento en el curso de química fue uno de los factores que influyó en abandonar los estudios (23)(24)(25).…”

Premedical Course Requirements in U.S. Medical Schools

“…For more than a century, medical schools have outlined which undergraduate courses are necessary to enter formal medical training, often profoundly affecting what thousands of college students do and do not learn each year. 1 Indeed, these courses are integral to the admissions process; in a national survey of 129 medical school admissions deans, completion of premed course requirements was among the top factors considered when choosing which applicants to invite for a secondary application, interview, and offer an acceptance into medical school. 2 Course requirements, established in the wake of the Flexner Report in 1910, 3 were historically instituted to ensure students had a sounder education before medical school, 4 but numerous critiques have surfaced over the years.…”

“…First, there have been numerous calls in the literature for systemic change of premed course requirements. 1,[11][12][13][14] Much of this scholarship has focused on shifting the emphasis from the basic sciences to the social sciences, often with the assumption of a standardized list of premed course expectations. Indeed, when premed course expectations were introduced, the goal was to standardize undergraduate preparation before medical school.…”