Students in CA can now complete medical school in three years

[SoCal_PA]

My PA program takes three years...

 

http://www.capradio.org/articles/2014/07/28/uc-davis-is-trailblazer-in-three-year-medical-school-model/

 

A handful of UC Davis students are trailblazers in a new medical school model that has won the approval of Californian Governor Jerry Brown. Brown signed legislation that will allow doctors to practice with three years of medical school instead of four. 

It’s Ngabo Nzigira’s sixth week of medical school, and he’s already interacting with patients.

“So we have the norco, you still taking that?" he asks.

Nzigira is being trained by a doctor at Kaiser Permanente in South Sacramento. Normally he wouldn’t be in a clinic until his third year. In this accelerated program, students can shave sixty thousand dollars off their medical school debt. But Nzigira had hesitations.

 

 “I thought, 'Oh man, you want me to put the intensity and stress that is medical school in four years, you want me to condense it down to three years. I’m not sure about that,'” he says.

 

The UC Davis program is designed for students who know they want to be a primary care physician. It cuts out summer vacations and electives to get them into the field faster.

“There’s a huge problem, a huge shortage of primary care physicians," says Dr. Tonya Fancher who directs the program. 

UC Davis says it’s meant to increase the supply of family doctors under the Affordable Care act.

“It seems like students come into medical school and they’re passionate about patients, passionate about primary care, part of it is the debt that they accrue, and part of it is the models of primary care that they’re exposed to," says Fancher. 

One patient says he’s not concerned about shortened medical school - as long as students meet the same standards as other doctors.

 

 

[andersenpa]

Hmm....

A condensed version of medical education which aims to create more primary care providers in order to meet a shortage.

Novel idea.

[PACdan]

Not a new idea, in fact it's half a century old. I see no issue with it as long as they can only match to primary care residencies.

[SocialMedicine]

I wonder what PA academics and policy leaders are saying about this in California ? Are they speaking in the press  Writing op-eds in LA times? Publishing similarities with PA education and the rise of PA residencies in academic medicine ?  Or are they doing nothing ? I know the nursing schools would have A LOT to say about this and where they fit into the model. The medical school should be recruiting PA academics who specialize in a more problem based primary care condensed curriculum Our people need to RISE above "didactic coordinator" for X number of PA students and start impacting policy and medicine on a whole. .

[andersenpa]

Not a new idea, in fact it's half a century old. I see no issue with it as long as they can only match to primary care residencies.

It was sarcasm.

I was posting the entire basis of the PA profession.

[PACdan]

It was sarcasm.

I was posting the entire basis of the PA profession.

I know, I got ya. I was posting that to the OP, that's why I didn't quote you.

 

It's the reason for the genesis of PA and has also been tried off and on with medical schooling, yet people always think it's a new phenomenon. Guess we're entering another "on" period.

 

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

Not a new idea, in fact it's half a century old. I see no issue with it as long as they can only match to primary care residencies.

I disagree. Let them go into whatever specialty they want. Not having the 4th year where you get off early, if you decide to go, and interview rotations doesn't matter bit when comes to residency.

[PACdan]

I see what you're saying. I think that by the OP mentioning his PA program is 3 years, he's hinting that the incentive to become a PA lessens. I know that residency is still a factor, but the gap narrows and PA residencies are "becoming" a thing.I think 3-year med models where the students must match to a primary care spot is trying to fix one problem: primary care shortage. It's one version of incentives. Letting them do three years and go into any specialty doesn't fix much.The problem is that physicians are disincentivized from day one to enter into primary care. Four years of med school and three years on a resident's salary all to work 40+ hour weeks and make 1/2 or less than say a doc working 30 hour weeks in the ED.Students are told by their peers and professors to avoid PC like the plague. It's one of the lowest compensated areas of medicine, yet it has the most need. These providers spend more time with pts. than many specialists and receive a fraction of the reimbursement. And that has a lot to do with Federal compensation. I think there were two primary care doctors on a board of mostly specialists when the Medicare/Medicaid reimbursements were established. Someone has got to start incentivizing PC work, be it the Federal government, private insurance, or schools shortening time for PC docs.

 

I disagree. Let them go into whatever specialty they want. Not having the 4th year where you get off early, if you decide to go, and interview rotations doesn't matter bit when comes to residency.

[winterallsummer]

This already exists in south Texas.   FM fast tract med school, 3 year program and then FM residency.

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

I see what you're saying. I think that by the OP mentioning his PA program is 3 years, he's hinting that the incentive to become a PA lessens. I know that residency is still a factor, but the gap narrows and PA residencies are "becoming" a thing.I think 3-year med models where the students must match to a primary care spot is trying to fix one problem: primary care shortage. It's one version of incentives. Letting them do three years and go into any specialty doesn't fix much.The problem is that physicians are disincentivized from day one to enter into primary care. Four years of med school and three years on a resident's salary all to work 40+ hour weeks and make 1/2 or less than say a doc working 30 hour weeks in the ED.Students are told by their peers and professors to avoid PC like the plague. It's one of the lowest compensated areas of medicine, yet it has the most need. These providers spend more time with pts. than many specialists and receive a fraction of the reimbursement. And that has a lot to do with Federal compensation. I think there were two primary care doctors on a board of mostly specialists when the Medicare/Medicaid reimbursements were established. Someone has got to start incentivizing PC work, be it the Federal government, private insurance, or schools shortening time for PC docs.

First, I don't care if they incentivize them to go into primary care. The bigger the squeeze the sooner they'll let PAs practice like they should.

 

Second, if primary care doc isn't making good money then they choose that. Not saying it's fair that EM makes a ton no matter how you slice it, but good money can be made in primary care. My father is a primary care doc in a rural area with a population of 7k. He census has dropped in recent years, but I assure you he is far from being bad off. Same for the other primary docs in town. Quite the opposite.

[PACdan]

I believe that the point of all this is to incentivize primary care. The only unfilled positions after the initial match for docs are PC slots, I believe. Everyone wants a higher paying speciality, PC got left behind.

 

If the goal for healthcare is more general and preventative providers to see pts., I do agree with you that maybe it will give PAs the boost they deserve.

 

[Guest Paula]

PAs will get the boost they deserve if AAPA/PAFT/AFPPA start getting the message out that some PA schools are 3 years long, confers a master's degree and some PAs go on to a residency.  Then they need to argue collaborative practice and autonomy after a set number of OTJ training and experience....say 3 years or so. 

 

Just like some of the NP freedom states that allow NPs to practice independently after 3 years of a supervised OJT by another NP or MD.  

 

PAs can easily take over the PCP slots if we want to go to the PCP areas that are lacking.  We won't take it over if we are not willing to go where the shortage is. 

[gbrothers98]

Somewhat of a double post for me....

There will not be a significant # of 3 yr med school grads.

They still have to match to a residency.

These 3 yr programs are limited in # and also accept limited #s. Most I reviewed accepted one or 2.

An applicant has to agree to accept and complete a primary care residency. It truly is a pipeline that only knocks one year off the usual 7 it take to become a dr.

It wont be competition to PA programs even if yours is 3 years. Graduate from the 3 yr PA program, get nationally certified, state licensed, start working and BILLING. 

Graduate from the 3 yr MD program, complete the 4 yr MD residency, get board certified, state licensed, start working and BILLING 4 yrs after the PA. 

Really the ? is, do you want to be a Dr?

G Brothers PA-C