Effectiveness of a formal post-baccalaureate pre-medicine program for underrepresented minority students

Purpose. To address the effectiveness of a formal post-baccalaureate (PB) e xperience for underrepresented minority (URM) students before medical schoo l. The program provided an intense year-long experience of course work, res earch, and personal development. Method. There were 516 participants from one medical school: 15 URM medical students had completed the formal PB program, 58 students had done indepen dent PB work before matriculation, and 443 students were traditional matric ulants. Cognitive and academic indicators [college science and non-science grade-point averages (GPAs); biology, physics, and verbal MCAT scores; and percentage scores from first-year medical school courses] were compared for the three groups. Results. Both groups of students with PB experience demonstrated competency in the first year of medical school consistent with traditional students e ven though the students who had completed the formal PB program had lower M CAT scores and lower college GPAs than did the traditional students. Tradit ional predictors of academic performance during the first year of medical s chool did not significantly contribute to actual academic performances of s tudents from the formal PB program. Conclusion. The results support the use of a formal PB program to provide a cademic readiness and Support for URM students prior to medical school. Suc h a program may also improve retention. Noncognitive variables, however, ma y be important to understanding the success of such students in medical sch ool.