In response to the projected national shortage of primary care physicians, The Ohio State University College of Medicine is offering a Primary Care Track (OSU-PCT) for students interested in a career in family medicine.
Approved through the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)—the accreditation board for medical colleges in the United States and Canada—this innovative medical school curriculum will prepare participants for a competitive three-year family medicine residency in The Ohio State University Family Medicine Residency Program, culminating in the MD degree. Students graduating from the OSU- PCT will progress into the Ohio State Family Medicine Residency Program.
In addition to increasing the number of medical students who choose a career in family medicine, the three-year program “is meant to prepare primary care physicians more efficiently and with less medical student debt burden,” says Quinn Capers IV, associate dean for admissions at the OSU College of Medicine.
“The outstanding feature of the program is that first-year students will be assigned to an outpatient primary care setting, even before they enter the classroom, where they will continue throughout their three years of medical school, allowing them to become an integral part of the healthcare team,” explains Capers.
The core curricular objectives of the three-year program will be identical to the college’s four-year track, the
Lead.Serve.Inspire. curriculum, which introduces hands-on experience early in the program through longitudinal, practice-based, clinical service.
An additional longitudinal curricular experience, called “Family Medicine Learning Community Plus,” will encompass specialty topics such as physician wellness, reflective journaling, leadership, population management, collaborative team-based care, preventive health, informatics, care planning and coordination.
In addition to the cost savings of a three-year versus a four-year program, the OSU-PCT offers financial support covering 50 percent of in-state tuition costs for all three years.
Application for this program opens June 7 via the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS).
For more information and instructions on how to apply, please contact the College of Medicine at
threeyeartrack@osumc.edu.