A National Long-term Outcomes Evaluation of U.S. Premedical Postbaccalaureate Programs Designed to Promote Health care Access and Workforce Diversity.

UNLABELLED The National Postbaccalaureate Collaborative (NPBC) is a partnership of Postbaccalaureate Programs (PBPs) dedicated to helping promising college graduates from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds get into and succeed in medical school. This study aims to determine long-term program outcomes by looking at PBP graduates, who are now practicing physicians, in terms of health care service to the poor and underserved and contribution to health care workforce diversity. METHODS We surveyed the PBP graduates and a randomly drawn sample of non-PBP graduates from the affiliated 10 medical schools stratified by the year of medical school graduation (1996-2002). RESULTS The PBP graduates were more likely to be providing care in federally designated underserved areas and practicing in institutional settings that enable access to care for vulnerable populations. CONCLUSION The NPBC graduates serve a critical role in providing access to care for underserved populations and serve as a source for health care workforce diversity.