Abstract
Medical school and other graduate medical programs are increasingly drawing non-traditional applicants, some of whom have already been out in the work force and some of whom decide later in their academic career to go into medicine. Additionally, some pre-health students underperform during their undergraduate courses and end up with a less competitive grade point average (GPA). Historically, these students have had to take science prerequisite courses as non-degree-seeking students at community colleges or universities. More and more students are choosing post-baccalaureate or graduate programs to take needed courses or enhance their GPA for their graduate medical program applications. Pre-health advisors should make every effort to stay up to date on post-baccalaureate programs and offer resources to these particular niche students.
TopIntroduction
The last five years have seen an increase in applications to both allopathic and osteopathic medical schools. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) saw an increase in applications by 17% in 2020 compared to the typical 3% increases they have observed each year for the past 10 years (Weiner, 2020). While this application cycle could be an outlier related to the COVID-19 pandemic, admission to medical school is competitive with an acceptance rate hovering around 40% for the last two admissions cycles for applicants to allopathic programs and 35% for applicants to osteopathic programs (Tables 1 & 2). Post-baccalaureate Pre-Medicine (PBPM) programs are a non-traditional path to medical school and other graduate health professional programs. It is important for advisors to understand what types of PBPM programs are available and which programs would be appropriate for their advisees. PBPM programs serve individuals who have already obtained a bachelor’s degree and want to pursue careers in medicine. Depending on the needs of the individual, different programs provide different experiences, certificates, or degrees. Career changer programs offer basic core science courses, allowing students to take all or most of the prerequisites for medical school or other graduate health professional program admissions. These programs are usually certificate programs, and many offer additional enrichment experiences and non-science coursework helpful in preparing for careers in healthcare. Academic enhancer PBPM programs cater to individuals who have already taken the core science courses for medical school or other graduate health professional program admissions but are looking for additional coursework to enhance their academic credentials. In addition to career changer and academic enhancer programs, many programs offer a hybrid opportunity for students to take any remaining core science courses but also take upper-level or graduate-level science courses. This chapter will summarize features of these programs based on the AAMC Postbaccalaureate Premedical Programs Database (AAMC, 2021a) to better prepare college advisors when helping students select a program. While the chapter focuses on programs geared toward the medical school admissions process, much of this information is applicable to other graduate health profession programs.
Table 1. Acceptance rates to allopathic medical schools
| Application Cycle | Applied | Accepted | Percent |
| 2021 | 62,443 | 23,711 | 38.0 |
| 2020 | 53,030 | 23,105 | 43.6 |
| 2019 | 53,370 | 22,687 | 42.5 |
| 2018 | 52,777 | 22,483 | 42.6 |
Adapted from AAMC Table a-7.2 (AAMC, 2022)
Key Terms in this Chapter
Disadvantaged Applicant: Generally thought of as a first-generation college student or applicants from educational environments where the majority of students do not attend college.
Pipeline: A program that is uniquely designed to help underrepresented minorities or academically disadvantaged students matriculate into a graduate medical program.
Cohort: A group of students who take all, or the majority of classes, together as the entirety of the class or as a group within a larger class.
Academic Enhancer: A post-baccalaureate pre-medicine program structured to provide additional curriculum above what is required to matriculate into a graduate medical program, with the goal of helping students to improve their GPA to a more competitive level.
Underrepresented Minority: Individual applicant from a particular racial or ethnic demographic whose percentage representation within a medical profession is less than their percentage in the entire population.
Career Changer: A Post-baccalaureate Pre-medicine Program structured to provide the basic science curriculum required for matriculation into a graduate medical program, with the goal of helping students from non-science backgrounds change careers or planned careers.