EFFECT OF AN INTENSIVE EDUCATIONAL-PROGRAM FOR MINORITY COLLEGE-STUDENTS AND RECENT GRADUATES ON THE PROBABILITY OF ACCEPTANCE TO MEDICAL-SCHOOL

Context.-Increasing the number of minority physicians is a long-standi ng goal of professional associations and government. Objective.-To det ermine the effectiveness of an intensive summer educational program fo r minority college students and recent graduates on the probability of acceptance to medical school. Design.-Nonconcurrent prospective cohor t study based on data from medical school applications, Medical Colleg e Admission Tests, and the Association of American Medical Colleges St udent and Applicant information Management System. Setting.-Eight US m edical schools or consortia of medical schools. Participants.-Underrep resented minority (black, Mexican American, mainland Puerto Rican, and American Indian) applicants to US allopathic medical schools in 1997 (N=3830), 1996 (N=4654), and 1992 (N=3447). Intervention.-The Minority Medical Education Program (MMEP), a 6-week, residential summer educat ional program focused on training in the sciences and improvement of w riting, verbal reasoning, studying, test taking, and presentation skil ls. Main Outcome Measure.-Probability of acceptance to at least 1 medi cal school. Results.-In the 1997 medical school application cohort, 22 3 (49.3%) of 452 MMEP participants were accepted compared with 1406 (4 1.6%) of 3378 minority nonparticipants (P=.002). Positive and signific ant program effects were also found in the 1996 (P=.01) and 1992 (P=.0 05) cohorts and in multivariate analysis after adjusting for nonprogra mmatic factors likely to influence acceptance (P<.001). Program effect s were also observed in students who participated in the MMEP early in college as well as those who participated later and among those with relatively high as well as low grades and test scores. Conclusions.-Th e MMEP enhanced the probability of medical school acceptance among its participants. Intensive summer education is a strategy that may help improve diversity in the physician workforce.