Discomfort at U.S. Medical Schools

The number of graduates from U.S. medical schools has remained roughly constant at about 16,000 a year since the 1980’s. But the number of new doctors has fallen as a percentage of the population. The population rose by 50 million from 1980 to 2000, according to the census.

Responding to this, medical schools have stepped up annual admissions to 18,036 last year from 16,170 in 1998, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Gail Morrison, vice dean for medical education at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, predicts that admissions will rise again this year. She notes that in recessions, interest in medical school jumps. “We’re anticipating a bump up,” she said. “Smart people can no longer go to Wall Street.”

This would be welcome news to the Association of American Medical Colleges, which is calling for a 30 percent rise in admissions. According to a 2008 report co-written by Edward Salsberg, director of the Center for Workforce Studies with the medical association, the gap between supply and demand for doctors could be 125,000 to 159,000 by 2025, if the training of doctors fails to keep pace with population growth and a rising need for specialists catering to the aging demographic.

There are two problems with seeking a rapid expansion of medical school enrollment. The first is that the recruitment pool is limited by a requirement for specialist knowledge of physical and biological sciences, measured in the Medical College Admissions Test. Mr. Salsberg, however, says that admission test scores are not absolute predictors of performance in medical school and that more students could be admitted without hurting the quality of graduates.

Though the numbers of medical students will increase, no one is discussing the expense incurred for attending. It is true that it is worth the cost due to the fact that you are undertaking the vocation of your dreams and that upon completion you income will increase but there are ways to attend medical school at no expense.

International education may be one of the best options available, but unless you seek out the system the system is not discussed.

Clearly the US mediacal school system instructs using a synthetic medication methodology, while international education indtitutions instruct unsing a holistic/syhthetic methodology. With the system being the way it is this may be the best way to go.

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