First-year enrollment in U.S. medical schools is projected to increase 17% over the next 5 years to nearly 19,300 students, helping to ameliorate the real need for new physicians, according to an annual survey of medical-school expansion plans released by the Association of American Medical Colleges.
The estimated expansion would move U.S. medical schools to the halfway point of a 30% enrollment increase recommended by the AAMC in 2006.
However, a top official at the American Academy of Family Physicians said that although adding additional medical school slots is laudable, the real emphasis needs to be placed on creating more primary care physicians.
“We certainly agree that the aging population and expansion of the nation is going to result in an expanding need for health care services,” said Dr. Perry Pugno, director of the division of medical education for AAFP.
“But it's not just a need for more doctors,” Dr. Pugno said. “We need more primary care physicians, especially family medicine doctors, to bring efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and better outcomes to the system.”
The survey of 121 out of 125 U.S. medical-school deans took place last fall, and the information gathered was compared with that of the baseline academic year of 2002–2003, when first-year enrollment totaled 16,488 students.
Survey results indicated that total first-year enrollment in existing U.S. medical schools is projected to increase by 2,558 students (15.5%) by 2012. Three-quarters of existing medical schools anticipate an increase, compared with 2002 enrollment levels.
However, the report notes that many of these planned increases depend upon state support or other outside funding sources. Projected enrollment for new medical schools accounts for an additional 1.5% percent of the total 17% expansion.
According to the survey, existing U.S. medical schools that are expanding will do so through a variety of mechanisms, including new clinical affiliations, expansion of existing campuses, and new regional or branch campuses.
Respondents also listed several barriers to enrollment increases, including the cost of such expansion, limited scholarship availability, tight classroom space, and too few ambulatory preceptors.
A smaller number of schools reported a lack of basic science faculty, low numbers or variety of patients, problems with regulatory or accreditation requirements, and poor quality applicants as major barriers.
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