Evaluating medical school graduates of a reduced course program

The performance of 32 medical school graduates who had pursued a reduced course load (“extended program”) for one or more years during medical school was examined during the first postgraduate year (PGY-1) of training. Those with academic problems as undergraduates performed at only a slightly lower than average level, while those who had extended their curricula to pursue personal or extracurricular interests tended to perform at a better than average level in the PGY-1 residency. Graduates with significant emotional disorders in medical school who pursued a reduced course load had a high (35 percent) dropout rate during the residency that occurred despite expert psychiatric care and substantial support during medical school and the residency. The authors suggest that extended programs may be useful for students seeking personal enrichment and for some with academic problems but that they do not seem particularly helpful to students with major emotional disturbances.