U.S. medical schools continue to expand their enrollment to meet the nation’s rising demand for doctors, according to recently released AAMC data. More than 18,000 first-year students enrolled in U.S. medical schools this year—a nearly 2 percent increase over last year and the highest enrollment on record.
After five years of growth among the total number of medical school applicants, this year’s number dropped slightly to 42,230, compared to 42,315 last year, and first-time applicants declined by 3 percent. Nevertheless, the overall applicant pool is one of the largest in more than a decade. On average, there were more than two applicants for every available medical school seat.
“In a time of great economic uncertainty, interest in the healing profession of medicine remains stable,” said AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D. “There has been a slight fall in applicants this year, but it’s important to look at the multi-year trends and signals.”
The numbers reveal some positive signs for certain demographic groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the medical profession. First-year Hispanic enrollees increased by more than 10 percent this year, and Hispanic students represent almost 8 percent of the 2008 first-year medical school class. The number of Native American first-year students grew by about 5 percent, while the number of black students held steady from last year. American Indians and blacks represent 1 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively, of this year’s entering medical school class.
Males applied for and enrolled in medical school at a slightly higher rate than their female counterparts, with men comprising 51.8 percent of all applicants and 52.2 percent of the entering class. The percentage of women applicants and enrollees dropped slightly—less than one percentage point in both cases—from last year.
According to the report, the average applicant’s academic prowess is on the rise, with MCAT® exam scores and grade point averages the highest on AAMC record. Applicants participating in community service (both clinical and non-clinical) and medical research also rose this year; 68 percent of applicants conducted or participated in research projects, while 77 percent and 63 percent of applicants, respectively, volunteered in medical and non-medical capacities. Eleven percent of applicants were involved with an artistic endeavor such as a musical group, up 1 percent from last year.
“These applicants are not only intellectually capable of succeeding in medicine, but have a sense of service, commitment, and discovery that we all want in the people at our bedside,” Kirch said.
Although the applicant pool did not change dramatically from last year, more students secured medical school slots this year because of continued medical school expansions, according to the data. The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, and Mercer University School of Medicine had the most significant upswings in their first-year student numbers, with 18 percent, 32 percent, and 43 percent increases, respectively. All three institutions have just established or are planning to establish branch campuses.
“The schools set a very specific goal of increasing their class size,” said AAMC Director of Student and Applicant Studies Gwen Garrison, Ph.D. “And as the data show, they were truly successful at meeting this milestone.”
The entering medical school class could grow even more in years to come as newly accredited medical schools start accepting applicants. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in El Paso, Florida International University College of Medicine in Miami, Orlando-based University of Central Florida College of Medicine, and the Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton, Pa., have received preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and should open their doors to students soon. Garrison said that the development of new institutions and the continued growth of existing medical schools make the conditions favorable for prospective medical students.
“Our schools are growing, and the number of slots is growing,” Garrison said. “It is a good time to apply to medical school.”
In a press teleconference to release the new data, Kirch cautioned that a larger medical school class is only part of the solution to a widely predicted physician shortage.
“We still have to confront the issue of resident availability,” said Kirch. Retirement patterns among practicing physicians and doctors’ choices about part-time work are also important factors to investigate, he noted.
“Without sufficient doctors, we are in deep trouble in this country,” Kirch said. “But we also must make this a better system for delivery and a better system for payment.”
—By Elissa Fuchs