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Category Archives: Medical School

Medical School Enrollment Outpacing Available Residency Slots

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New survey results released by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) show that enrollment at U.S. medical schools and schools of osteopathic medicine continues to increase at a steady pace. However, the same survey highlights increasing concern from the nation's medical school deans about insufficient numbers of residency training positions being available to meet matriculating students' graduate medical education needs.

Specifically, first-year medical school enrollment is projected to reach 21,434 by the 2017-18 school year, which is a 30 percent increase compared to 2002 enrollment numbers. The report projects an even sharper increase in osteopathic medical school enrollment; first-year enrollment is expected to reach 6,675 in 2017, which represents a 125 percent increase since 2002. Combined first-year M.D. and D.O. medical school enrollment likely will reach 28,109 by 2017 compared to 19,456 in 2002.

"Increasing enrollments show that medical schools are doing their part to avert the shortage of more than 90,000 primary care specialty doctors this nation faces by 2020," says Kirch. "However, this will not result in a single new practicing physician unless Congress acts now to lift the cap on residency training positions."

The AAMC points out there were more U.S. seniors seeking residency positions in the recent 2013 National Residency Matching Program than there were residency spots available. The same situation occurred in 2010.

Indeed, survey results show that 76 percent of schools already have instituted, or are planning to institute, at least one primary care initiative to increase student interest in primary care specialties. These efforts include refined admissions criteria, changes in curriculum and extracurricular opportunities, expanded primary care faculty resources and training, and implementation of financial incentives, such as tuition or debt reduction.

In its 2010 survey, the AAMC asked schools for the first time about plans to stir student interest in primary care. At that time, 46 schools said they planned to establish initiatives within two years. However, 2012 survey results show that only about one-third of those schools met that goal.

Still, the survey authors express optimism that interest in creating primary care initiatives is ongoing. "While comparison of past survey results with those of this year show that plans to implement such initiatives do not necessarily come to fruition within a two-year window, 38 percent of schools have plans for the next two years," say the authors.

The 2012 survey also indicates that of the 4,946 new positions projected by 2017, 55 percent are expected to come from public schools and 45 percent from private schools. In addition,

Medical schools also indicated growing concerns about clinical training opportunities for students. For example,

Lastly, of the projected growth in medical school enrollment between 2002 and 2017, the survey found 62 percent will occur in the 125 medical schools that were accredited as of 2002. Another 31 percent will occur in schools accredited since 2002, and 7 percent will come from schools that currently are applicant or candidate schools with the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.

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Medical School Enrollment Outpacing Available Residency Slots

UCF Medical School graduated its first class Friday

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And they're doctors. The first class of medical students to come out of the University of Central Florida College of Medicine graduated Friday morning during a ceremony on the UCF campus.

The charter class of 36 graduates also was the first class of medical students in the nation to receive full-ride, four-year scholarships courtesy of community donors.

Wearing black robes and caps with UCF gold tassels, the graduates each received their diplomas from the individual or foundation that funded their scholarships.

Worth $160,000 each, the scholarships helped the then unknown and unproven school attract more than 4,300 applicants for 41 spaces, allowing the school to be very selective.

"You took a big chance," said UCF President John Hitt during the commencement address. "You agreed to come to an unaccredited medical school. Your gamble paid off. Today, you are graduating debt free from a fully accredited medical school and are going to some of the best residencies in the nation.

"In decades to come, UCF College of Medicine a school you chartered will grow in distinction," Hitt said.

To pay that gift forward, the graduating class of 2013 has established a $300,000 endowment to help fund scholarships for future students.

The gift involves pledges from the students over the next 10 years that will provide a $50,000 scholarship over four years to a deserving student.

"In a few minutes you will transition from physicians-in-training to physicians," said Dr. Deborah German, the college's founding dean. As she addressed the class, German said that while they were fulfilling their dreams, she was fulfilling hers.

"We've realized these dreams because of the collective accomplishment of the community, and of unprecedented generosity," German said.

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UCF Medical School graduated its first class Friday

UCF Medical School graduates its first class

Posted on by

And they're doctors. The first class of medical students graduated from University of Central Florida College of Medicine Friday morning, during a ceremony at the main university campus.

The charter class of 36 graduates also was the first class of medical students in the nation to receive full-ride, four-year scholarships courtesy of community donors.

The scholarships, each worth $160,000, helped the school attract more than 4,300 applications for 41 spaces, allowing the school to be very selective despite its being unknown and unproven.

"You took a big chance," said UCF President John Hitt during the commencement address. "You agreed to come to an unaccredited medical school. Your gamble paid off. Today, you are graduating debt free from a fully accredited medical school and are going to some of the best residencies in the nation.

"In decades to come, UCF College of Medicine a school you chartered will grow in distinction," Hitt said.

To pay their gift forward, the graduating class of 2013 has established a $300,000 endowment to help fund scholarships for future students.

The gift involves pledges from the students for the next 10 years that will provide a $50,000 scholarship over four years to a deserving student.

The graduating class set a high bar for upcoming medical student by exceeding national averages on the medical licensing exam, and also by landing residencies at some of the nation's top medical institutions.

Collectively, the group earned an average score of 245 on their medical licensing exam, nine points higher than the national average. All of them passed the national clinical skills exam, which also bests the national average.

From here, the newly anointed will pursue medical residencies at such notable centers as Duke University Medical Center, Baylor University Medical Center, Mayo Clinic and Tufts Medical Center. About a third of the graduates will begin residencies in state at Orlando Health, University of Florida and University of South Florida.

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UCF Medical School graduates its first class


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