title: A prematriculation intervention to improve the adjustment of students to medical school.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The transition from a baccalaureate program to a medical curriculum can be a difficult period for some students. Our study asked whether providing students with review materials and a means of assessing their degree of preparedness prior to matriculation influenced actual and perceived performance in 1st-year basic science courses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Didactic review materials in basic science subjects encountered in the 1st year were made available to prematriculants online. Access to materials for each subject was contingent upon completion of a pretest. Prematriculants were free to use the materials as they saw fit. Once students matriculated, performance in basic science subjects was compared between those who had accessed the materials and those who had not. Students who accessed the materials were also surveyed to determine if they perceived any benefit from their use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than half of matriculants chose to access the intervention materials. There was no significant difference in MCAT, prerequisite grade point average, or total grade point average between those students who chose to access the intervention materials and those who did not. Students who accessed the intervention materials reported gains in confidence in their ability to perform well in medical school. Those students who accessed the intervention materials had significantly higher examination scores in an early basic science course than those who did not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An online prematriculation intervention can provide useful background material to interested students. Access to this material increased performance in a 1st-year basic science course and was perceived as valuable by students.
authors: Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine, 3200 Grand Avenue,Des Moines, IA 50312, USA. wwilson@dmu.edu
authors: Wayne A
authors: WA
authors: Wilson
authors: Matthew K
authors: MK
authors: Henry
authors: Glenna
authors: G
authors: Ewing
authors: Jamie
authors: J
authors: Rehmann
authors: Craig A
authors: CA
authors: Canby
authors: Jeffrey T
authors: JT
authors: Gray
authors: Edward P
authors: EP
authors: Finnerty
mesh_terms: D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012577:Schools, Medical; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*