Medical School Enrollment Up, Yet More Doctors Are Needed0

Medical schools are doing their best to increase the number of future doctors, but apparently not enough to meet burgeoning patient demand, according to a recent article in Modern Healthcare.

An Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) briefing noted that across the country, freshman enrollment increased by 1.5% over 2009 (18,665 students). Some medical schools are expanding the size of incoming classes, while new schools have recently earned accreditation (such as Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke, Hofstra University School of Medicine, and Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine). Twelve additional medical schools are currently seeking accreditation, and this may with the expected physician shortage (a deficit of about 60,000 doctors by 2015, according to the AAMC).

AAMC President and CEO Darrell Kirch stated: “Physician development is dependent not just on new medical schools, but also on the creation of new residency training slots. We’ve been very clear with Congress about the need to expand those slots by 15% in order to meet demand and create physicians who can practice in their communities.” The rest of the article can be found at Modern Healthcare.

[audio:http://hospitalstay.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/05-SCHOOLS-OUT.mp3|titles=School’s Out]

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.