Evaluation of a summer prematriculation program for black and other nontraditional students

Abstract

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine's Summer Prematriculation Program in facilitating participants' first-year achievement and retention from 1980 to 1989. The four-week curriculum included biochemistry, anatomy, immunology, learning skills, medical or anatomy terminology, and clinical forums. Of 101 black and 96 other nontraditional, at-risk students who had been invited to attend the program, the 115 attendees were compared with the 82 nonattendees on a variety of demographic and academic measures. For all measures examined, no statistically significant difference was found between the two groups. Several factors may have obscured the results. However, there were indications that the program had a favorable effect, including the evaluation by over 90% of the attendees that the program had contributed positively to their adjustment to medical school.

Learning support interventions for Year 1 medical students: a review of the literature

“…Interventions seem to focus on several areas, including content knowledge, academic success skills, personal and professional skills, and programme‐related elements. Content knowledge interventions primarily addressed basic sciences, mathematics, medical vocabulary and terminology, behavioural sciences, and unspecified content knowledge or academic performance …”

“…Although the intervention strategies were not always indicated, the interventions were provided through various strategies. Faculty staff‐facilitated learning included individual or small‐group tutoring, laboratory reviews, problem‐based learning tutoring and clinical forums . Peer‐facilitated learning included peer‐led study groups, peer tutoring, and peer coaching and mentoring by students in more senior years .…”

“…Faculty staff‐facilitated learning included individual or small‐group tutoring, laboratory reviews, problem‐based learning tutoring and clinical forums . Peer‐facilitated learning included peer‐led study groups, peer tutoring, and peer coaching and mentoring by students in more senior years . Support staff‐facilitated strategies involved counselling and advising, which included pointing students to relevant resources and helping them with skills like time management .…”

“…Support staff‐facilitated strategies involved counselling and advising, which included pointing students to relevant resources and helping them with skills like time management . Additionally, the use of experiential placement and self‐study materials was described. Finally, the reduced‐load approach was used to support students experiencing academic difficulty who would otherwise be dismissed .…”

Medical students who decompress during the M-1 year outperform those who fail and repeat it: A study of M-1 students at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign 1988–2000

“…Study results have provided medical school admission committees with data to apply to their admission policies and procedures [2-11]. Prominent among medical school admission policy and procedure changes are the development of 'prematriculation' programs and post baccalaureate programs, aimed at assisting the academically at risk students to find success after matriculation [12]. However, these policies and programs are not infallible and do not reflect the struggle failing students face, their rates of graduation, time spent in the program, number of attempts at USMLE Step 1 and Step 2.…”