Three Year Primary Care Track

PCT1 – Year 1

• Clinical rotations begin during the first week of medical school. Students are paired with a family medicine physician beginning their first week of Primed for Practice orientation and work longitudinally throughout medical school in the same clinic with the same preceptor.

• Primed for Practice:  Orientation course to introduce PCT students to medical school and to the Dept. of Family and Community Medicine. Students arrive 3 weeks ahead of medical school orientation to start in the PCT curriculum. Topics include note-writing, patient interviewing, and history taking as well as events such as learning community, family medicine specialty exploration, and meet and greet with residency program.

• ACE+: Covers topics related to different family medicine specialty clinics at Ohio State relevant to the various patient populations served in a patient-centered medical home.

• Primary Care focused Longitudinal Group: Classmates and facilitator have an identified interest in primary care populations. Additional topics presented related to social determinants of health and the patient-centered medical home. 

• Peer Tutoring and Faculty Advising: Students are assigned a peer tutor throughout Part 1 of the LSI curriculum and meet each block with PCT program directors for career and curriculum advising.

PCT 2 – Year 2

• Summer Host Defense: The summer between Med1 and Med2 year are spent on-campus so students to accelerate more quickly through the Part 1 curriculum and enter Part 2 a ring ahead of their peers. 

• Continued ACE clinical sessions in the LP and UPWP curriculum

• Part 2 pre-entry with focus on preparing for the NBME Step 1 exam completed half-way through a student’s second year of medical school

• Begin Part 2 curriculum in the UPRSN ring in the final semester of year 2

PCT 3 – Year 3

Students complete the Part 2 curriculum including the UPSMN and UPWP rings before study time and completion of the Step 2 Exam. Students complete the required components of Part 3 including 2 blocks of AMHBC (Mini-I and Emergency Medicine) and AMRCC (longitudinal ambulatory block and interprofessional chronic care block), a QI project, and their student portfolio before graduation in May. Student’s Part 3 curriculum is focused on preparation for a residency in family medicine upon graduation.

Requirements

We are looking for the family physicians of the future who demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility and a strong desire to enter into a career in family medicine. Only students who meet the following criteria will be considered for the program:

1. Strong motivation to enter a career in family medicine
2. Maturity necessary to be successful in an accelerated three-year program
3. A record predictive of success in an accelerated three-year program

We are looking for the family physicians of the future who demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility and a strong desire to enter into a career in family medicine. Only students who meet the following criteria will be considered for the program:

1. Strong motivation to enter a career in family medicine
2. Maturity necessary to be successful in an accelerated three-year program
3. A record predictive of success in an accelerated three-year program

1. First, designate The Ohio State University on the electronic AMCAS application, and select Regular MD as the application type.
2. Next, complete and submit the Specialty Track Selection form.
   • Please note that you will not be considered an applicant to the OSU-PCT program until you have informed The Ohio State University College of Medicine of your interest in this program through submission and approval of this form. You will receive an email confirming your eligibility to be considered for the PCT program within 5-7 business days of form submission.
   • Do not submit a Secondary Application until the change to PCT is confirmed. Your application type cannot be changed once you have submitted a Secondary Application to OSUCOM. 
3. Your application to the Primary Care Track is complete once we have received all your application materials, including: your AMCAS primary application, the specialty selection track form, the secondary application, all transcripts, all letters of recommendation, and official, valid MCAT scores. All materials must be submitted no later than November 16, 2026 for the 2027 application cycle.
4. Qualified applicants are invited for interviews, which take place from September to January. You will complete a two-part virtual interview: One day with the College of Medicine MD program and one interview day with the OSU-PCT and residency representatives.
5. Admissions decisions will be released and monitored separately from the Regular MD program timeline.

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact the Office of Admissions at medicine@osu.edu.

• Application for this program opens May 5 via the AAMC American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS).
• Criteria for selection include demonstrated interest in family medicine and primary care through experiences, interests and/or understanding of the field. Applicants will complete an additional application that will give them an opportunity to discuss their interest and understanding of family medicine. Applicants should demonstrate academic credentials predictive of success in an accelerated, three-year curriculum.
• Applicants to The Ohio State University College of Medicine will not be permitted to apply to both the standard 4-year MD program AND the Primary Care Track MD Program.

• An accelerated curriculum leading to the MD degree in three years instead of four
• Core curricular objectives that are identical to the college’s four-year track, the Lead.Serve.Inspire. curriculum
• Family medicine mentoring over three years
• Support and engagement from the PCT faculty, residency faculty and residency program
• Tutoring and exam preparation
• Tuition scholarship, covering up to 50% of in-state tuition all three years
• Students will progress into the OSU Family and Community Medicine Residency Program assuming all requirements are completed and students wish to remain at Ohio State
• Completion of medical school and residency training in family medicine in six years

Applicants select one track at the time of application, allowing them to focus on their area of interest. Those who choose to apply for the PCT track will be exclusively considered for this specialized program, providing a unique and tailored experience. They cannot also be considered for admission to the Regular MD Program.

Once students matriculate into the PCT program, they may apply for a transfer to the Ohio State College of Medicine’s four-year program if they wish to pursue a different path. However, please note that transfer requests are not guaranteed approval.

The AMCAS application deadline is Nov. 1. The secondary application deadline is Nov. 14.

The OSU-PCT starts in mid-July with a course called “Primed for Practice” to ensure students are ready to participate in clinical care from week one of medical school.

Yes, financial aid is given with the same requirements as per federal standards.

No, dual degrees can’t be completed in the OSU-PCT due to the accelerated nature of the OSU-PCT program.