This Week in Primary Care

The Shorten Medical School! Issue

How can communities encourage more people to become primary care clinicians? In previous issues we’ve discussed expanding medical school and residency spots; resourcing nurse practitioner training and transition to practice; organizing scholarships with a service commitment; and supporting locals every step of the way from middle schooler to primary care clinician.

Here’s another one: shorten medical school from four years to three.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) launched a Family Medicine Accelerated Track in 2011. Students apply either before or during their first year of medical school and graduate with an MD in three years– including one year on full scholarship– with a spot in one of TTUHSC’s family medicine residencies. In their first ten years, 115 students started the program, 90 graduated in three years and started family medicine residency, and 56 entered family medicine practice (with more still in training), overwhelmingly still in Texas. Accelerated students performed as well as or better than their four-year peers on national licensing exams, and in residency. The track’s main draw was its early career start, rewarding students who chose family medicine early, attracting those who might not have considered it, and elevating the specialty’s profile institution-wide. TTUHSC is a founding member of the Consortium of Accelerated Medical Pathway Programs, which now includes 34 schools and counting.

Now, as new federal loan caps in President Trump’s domestic policy bill send four years of tuition even farther out of reach and discourage students from pursuing primary care, Ezekiel Emanuel and colleagues are calling for medical school to be shortened to three years for everybody. We agree. We want our talented students in Queens, NY, Richmond, VA, and Central Falls, RI to see medicine as a viable career path, train up, and come back to care for their communities.

To learn more about how money is shaping the who and how of health care, and how communities can secure primary care for all of us, please join us tonight for Dr. Zirui Song’s Teach-In/Learn-In: “Communities, Primary Care, and the Free Market.”

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TONIGHT: December 9th 8:30pm Teach-In/Learn-In with Dr. Zirui Song!

We're hiring!

We’re seeking our first Executive Director to lead PC4AA into its next phase—growing it from a number of effective local and state workgroups into a true national movement.

You’ll be the driving force behind our mission, overseeing fundraising, operations, communications, partnerships, and growth. If you’re a creative, mission-driven leader ready to build something big from the ground up, we want to meet you.

For the full job description, click here. To apply, send your résumé and a short cover letter to pakjpk@comcast.net with subject line: Executive Director – PC4AA. Applications reviewed on a rolling basis.

Seeking Interviewees for an Article on the Lack of Diversity in Primary Care Practice

From PC4AA's Eve Shapiro: "I am researching an article on the reasons for the continued lack of diversity among primary care physicians. If you are a medical student or resident of color, would you be willing to talk with me about your experiences applying to medical school/residency and going through training? I will grant anonymity to anyone willing to talk to me about their current or recent experiences. Please contact me if you’re willing to schedule an interview for 30 minutes or less: eveshapiro912@gmail.com. Thank you."

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