Academic performance and career choices of older medical students at the University of Otago

Aims To compare the academic performance and postgraduate career choices of a cohort of medical students who are older and more life experienced at time of medical school entry ("Other Category"students) with students admitted through standard entry admission pathways. Methods Examination performance, graduation rates, postgraduate specialisation and geographical location were compared between Other Category students and students entering via Standard Entry admission (including competitive first year entry and competitive graduate entry immediately after completing a Bachelor's degree). Results Compared with Standard Entry students, Other Category students had equivalent examination pass rates, significantly higher rates of distinction passes in examinations in Year 2 (OR 1.86; 95% CI 1.05, 3.29; p=0.03) and Year 5 (OR 2.36; 95% CI 1.27, 4.37; p=0.005), and equivalent graduation rates. Retention of Other Category graduates in New Zealand was 14% higher than Standard Entry students over 10 years post-graduation (p< 0.0001), and a higher proportion had specialised in General Practice (p=0.04). Conclusions Compared with Standard Entry students, Other Category medical students had higher rates of distinction grades in examination results, higher rates of retention in NZ post-graduation, and a higher proportion taking up general practice as a specialty. These findings may be relevant in planning for recruitment and training of the future medical workforce in New Zealand.