REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO MEDICAL-SCHOOL - HOW MANY YEARS OF UNIVERSITY STUDY ARE NECESSARY

Objective: To assess whether students admitted to medical school after completing 2 years of undergraduate study performed as well as those admitted after longer periods of undergraduate study in terms of broad patient-care skills measured at the time of graduation. Design: Retro spective study. Setting: University of Alberta, Edmonton. Participants : Graduates of: the classes of 1990 and 1991, of the 226 graduates 133 had entered medical school after 2 years of undergraduate training, 3 9 after 3 years and 54 after 4 or more years. Eight students had been excluded because they were either transfer students or international s tudents. Outcome measures: Objective and subjective assessments of the main clinical rotations (internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology , pediatrics, psychiatry, radiology and surgery), results of the facul ty's final comprehensive examination and of the Medical Council of Can ada's Qualifying Examination. Results: The students who had completed 2 years of undergraduate study before medical school were significantl y younger than those who had completed 3 years and those who had compl eted 4 or more years (mean age [and standard deviation (SD)] 20.5 [2.1 ], 21.5 [2.4] and 25.1 [4.4] years respectively, p < 0.001). They also had a significantly higher mean grade point average (CPA) for the pre requisite courses for admission to medical school than those with 3 ye ars and those with 4 or more years of undergraduate study (8.26 [SD 0. 3],7.95 [SD 0.3] and 7.80 [SD 0.5] respectively, p < 0.001). The overa ll mean GPA for the best 2 years of undergraduate study did not differ significantly between the three groups. The students with 2 years of undergraduate study had a significantly lower mean score for the pre-e ntry interview than those who had 4 or more years of undergraduate stu dy (32.1 [SD 7.6] v. 38.3 [SD 8.5], p < 0.001). There were no signific ant differences between the three groups in the results of any of the subjective or objective outcome measures. Conclusion: Students who com pleted 2 years of undergraduate study before admission to medical scho ol were able to achieve a satisfactory level of competency and maturit y by the end of medical school. The 2-year option for entrance into me dical school should be reconsidered.