In terms of a stepping stone toward an application to medical school or one of the other schools in the health professions there are two types of post-bac programs:
A Career Changer program is exactly what it implies; these programs are for people who need to complete the pre-requisite coursework required to apply to the program(s) they are interested in pursuing. This could be for a recent graduate who took little or no coursework in the sciences or for someone who has been out for several years working in another field who needs to complete the sciences to “change careers.”
Academic Record Enhancing programs are designed for people who want to enhance their academic record to be more competitive and gain a better grounding in the sciences.
AAMC Postbaccalaureat Premedical Programs Glossary
A Second Opinion: The Post-Baccalaureate (NY Times, April 2012)
While there are generally two types of “post bac” programs there are differences among them in each category and even then one does not have to enroll in a formal program to accomplish their intended goal. Consultation with the Preprofessional Health Career Adviser is highly recommended in determining the best course of action for your particular situation. For more information about the nuances check out the documents below.
What are Post-bac Programs?