A century of premedical education

The Flexner Report established guidelines for medical education and made the university the obligate home for medical education. Flexner mandated specific elements necessary for university-based premedical education. With the exception of the MCAT, much less attention has been paid to premedical education and its integration into the scope of medical education than to education within the confines of the medical school. This article reviews the history of premedical education, describes some recent critiques of premedical education, discusses a newer program for premedical education evolving at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and offers some suggestions for the future.