A New Pathway For Medical Education

Abstract

Physician education in the United States must change to meet the primary care needs of a rapidly transforming health care delivery system. Yet medical schools continue to produce a disproportionate number of hospital-based specialists through a high-cost, time-intensive educational model. In response, the American Osteopathic Association and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine established a blue-ribbon commission to recommend changes needed to prepare primary care physicians for the evolving system. The commission recommends that medical schools, in collaboration with their graduate medical education partners, create a new education model that is based on achievement of competencies without a prescribed number of months of study and incorporates the knowledge and skills needed for a twenty-first-century primary care practice. The course of study would occur within a longitudinal clinical training environment that allows for seamless transition from medical school through residency training.

The association of medical student debt on choice of primary care specialty and rural practice location.

“…246 The UME/GME pathway would include five principles: (a) a focus on team-based patient centered care; (b) a focus on a competency-based curriculum; (c) the educational experience would imbibe a belief in life-long medical education, as continuous throughout one's career; (d) the educational administration would entail UME/GME collaboration; and (e) concentrate on healthcare delivery science positioning PCPs to be inter-professional healthcare team leaders. 250 Admissions to a CBC osteopathic pathway program would be based on students'…”

“…250 Students' UME and GME advancement would occur as students demonstrate competencies in the areas being trained; students' responsibilities would increase as they demonstrate the ability to handle more charges. 250 Emphasis on producing physicians would be based on mastering physician-related competencies and not on time. Consequently, the time for generating…”

“…250 Addressing policy issues is necessary for a CBC's acceptance. Two key policy issues are accreditation and financial considerations.…”

“…Two key policy issues are accreditation and financial considerations. 250,251 For a CBC pathway to be permissible, the accreditation-based criteria for osteopathic institutions of four years of UME training and 130 weeks of GME training would have to be eliminated. 250,251 Board certifications of physicians based on competencies and not on a predetermined duration of study would have to be legitimated.…”

“…250,251 For a CBC pathway to be permissible, the accreditation-based criteria for osteopathic institutions of four years of UME training and 130 weeks of GME training would have to be eliminated. 250,251 Board certifications of physicians based on competencies and not on a predetermined duration of study would have to be legitimated. 250,251 In effect, the competency-based curriculum's success depends on medical school accreditors, graduate medical education accreditors, and board authorities to sanction this concept.…”