550 - An Accelerated Pathway to Pediatric Primary Care

Poster Number: 550
Publication Number: 550.115

William Graessle, The Children's Regional Hospital at Cooper, Camden, NJ, United States; Christian M. Bruni, The Children's Regional Hospital at Cooper, Camden, NJ, United States; Camille Henry, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, United States; Anat R. Feingold, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ, United States

Background: Our program created a pediatric primary care track for residents with an expressed interest in pediatric primary care and successfully recruited for several years.  With a need for more physicians in primary care, our medical school was interested in creating a combined program that would attract students interested in pediatric primary care as they entered medical school.

Objective: To create an accelerated medical school pathway leading to training in pediatric primary care.

Design/Methods: An accelerated pathway for students interested in pediatric primary care was offered to students accepted into medical school.  Two students per year were accepted into the track with a direct pathway into the residency program.       
The medical school curriculum was adjusted to meet all LCME requirements within 3 years, with two courses added during the summer months that were unique to the pathway.  The 3rd year clerkships were adjusted to accommodate step 2 and a pediatric sub-internship. 
The pathway was established with direct involvement of program leadership including interviewing applicants, working directly with students through the medical school curriculum in the physical diagnosis course and longitudinal clerkship and incorporation of the students into the patient-centered medical home team.  Any concerns related to performance were discussed with a subcommittee.    
Upon graduation, students entered the primary care track of the pediatric residency program.  The primary care track has a minimum of 18 months of dedicated general pediatric and subspecialty outpatient time with a separate schedule from the categorical program.     

Results: The benefits to the students included one year less of medical school tuition, reduced stress of the residency application process, early exposure to pediatric primary care clinic, and establishment of continuity between students, faculty, and residents within the 6 year combined curriculum.
Since the pathway was started in 2016, 10 students have been accepted into the accelerated program.  One student came out of the pathway due to a step 1 failure and graduated medical school. One chose to pursue a different career outside of medicine.   Both of these students were accepted into the program in the first 2 years of the pathway.  Four students have completed the planned curriculum in 3 years and have successfully transitioned into residency.Conclusion(s): An accelerated pathway into primary care pediatrics is feasible and an attractive option for a number of students.  Careful selection of students for an accelerated pathway appears to be the key to its success.