Medical commentary: With a doctor shortage looming, fast-track medical school is necessary

When I went to medical school many years ago, it took four years. And that was just how it had to be, just like — for those of you who can recall it — there was that old 1970s Heinz ketchup commercial. You remember: bottle tipped, ketchup inching down, Carly Simon crooning “Anticipation” in the background. Medical schools believed you needed time to mature and to gather life experience before you could be a doctor.

Well, someone just flipped the bottle and gave it a good smack. In 2025, 33 medical schools now offer fast-track programs — three years instead of four — for students who commit to primary care. They save a year’s tuition, get into clinics sooner, and early studies show no drop in medical knowledge. With AI putting mountains of medical data at doctors’ fingertips, maybe that fourth year is looking a little unnecessary.

Why should we care? We're facing a projected shortage of 40,000 primary care doctors by 2036. Someday soon in the not-too-distant future, the person taking your blood pressure or diagnosing your chest cold might be one of these fast-tracked doctors. But don’t picture some wide-eyed teenager fresh out of college. These students are often older, more diverse, with backgrounds ranging from engineering to English literature.

The goal is simple: get more doctors into the system faster. That could mean shorter appointment waits, more doctors in small towns and fewer “Sorry, we can’t see you for three months” responses.

But here’s the thing—nobody really knows how this experiment ends. Will speed make our healthcare system healthier? Or will we look back wishing we’d let that ketchup pour slowly?

Me? I’m cheering these fast-trackers on.