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Introduction: Over the past decade, the growth of accelerated three-year MD (3YMD) programs has flourished. In 2015, with support from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, the Consortium of Medical Pathway Programs (CAMPP) started with eight North American medical schools. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the current state of the 3YMD programs. Material and Methods: Since 2015, the CAMPP has tracked new and prospective 3YMD programs. An electronic survey collecting curricular and programmatic information about the programs was disseminated to all members of the CAMPP in August 2023. The survey included elements related to year of initiation, number of graduates, and curricular elements. Results: Of the schools with known established three-year MD programs, 29 of 32 programs responded (response rate 90%). There is growth of Accelerated Medical Pathway Programs over time with almost 20% of United States Allopathic Medical Schools having or developing an accelerated program. There have been 817 graduates from these programs from 2013–2023. Most schools include an opportunity for a 'directed pathway' experience for students. A directed pathway is where a student completes the MD degree in three-years and then has a direct placement into an affiliated residency program, provided they meet the goals and objectives of the curriculum. Most of the schools report a mission to reduce medical student debt and build a workforce for a specialty, for a population of patients, or geographical distribution. Conclusions: Accelerated three-year medical pathway programs have grown significantly over the last decade, consistent with an overall effort to redesign medical curricula, reduce debt and contribute to the workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Prior research results indicate a relationship between medical epistemology (ie, how a physician organizes and prioritizes the biological and psychosocial data of a patient presentation) and stress reactions to uncertainty among primary care physicians. However, little is known about when this relationship forms. The purpose of this study was to begin answering this question by exploring the relationship between medical epistemology and stress reactions to uncertainty among a group of 89 third-year medical students from the class of 2010 of a three-campus state medical school located in the southwestern US., Methods: Data from Likert-type measures of medical epistemology and stress reactions to uncertainty were extracted from course evaluation information that was collected at the start (T1) and end (T2) of a continuity clinic experience that spanned most of the students' third year. Using these data, the authors conducted a simple bivariate regression analysis to identify the relationship between medical epistemology and stress reactions to uncertainty (Model 1), and a multivariate regression analysis to test for the independent effect of medical epistemology on stress reactions to uncertainty while controlling for gender and specialty interest (Model 2). These two regression models were calculated for both the T1 and T2 data sets., Results: The two regression models at T1 indicated no significant relationships between medical epistemology and stress reactions to uncertainty; however, the two regression models at T2 indicated that a biopsychosocial epistemology is associated with less stress reactions to uncertainty, and a biomedical epistemology is associated with more stress reactions to uncertainty., Conclusions: The third year is an opportune time for medical educators to help shape and develop students' medical epistemology and stress reactions to uncertainty.

Objectives: Although early clinical experience courses are often the purview of family medicine faculty, students may receive training with community physicians from varying specialties. Little is known about the influence of preceptor specialty and method of assignment on students' performance and course satisfaction., Methods: Second-year medical students spent one half day per month with a preceptor to practice clinical skills. Preceptors were either assigned randomly or assigned by student recruitment or specialty request. We analyzed whether preceptor specialty, method of assignment, and practice site (the independent variables) were associated with the dependent variables of course evaluation ratings and student performance on objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs)., Results: Analyses found no differences in students' overall course satisfaction or OSCE scores and little difference in satisfaction with specific course components. There was a positive relationship between overall course rating and the rating of the preceptor experience and between the preceptor experience and more time spent in ambulatory clinics and direct patient interaction., Conclusions: Because students were equally satisfied and performed comparably regardless of specialty or matching method, early clinical exposure may be accomplished equally well using specialist or generalist physicians, potentially giving primary care educators greater latitude to focus their efforts on teaching students in clinical clerkships and those interested in primary care.