News in brief - Oct. 2, 2000

"How to" book now in two languages - Medical school applications on the decline nationwide

"How to" book now in two languages

The federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has released a new guide to help Spanish-speaking patients obtain reliable information on diseases and treatment options. Translated as "Now you have a diagnosis: What next?," the booklet also explains how patients can work with their physicians to develop a treatment plan. The booklet is available at the agency's Web site (http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/).

Medical school applications on the decline nationwide

For the third straight year in 1999, the number of applicants to U.S. medical schools decreased. But first-year enrollment, which was 16,856 in 1999, has remained the same over the past 20 years.

In 1999, 38,529 students applied to the nation's 125 medical schools, a 6% decrease from 41,004 in 1998, according to a survey in the July 6 Journal of the American Medical Association. Women applicants dropped 2%, male applicants fell 9.1% and underrepresented minorities dropped 6.8%.

Experts attributed the declines to graduates choosing other fields, reductions in affirmative action programs in states such as Texas and California, a perceived loss of autonomy from managed care and increasing medical school debt, now averaging a total of $90,000.

Of first-year enrollment in the 1999-2000 school year, women accounted for 45.8% and underrepresented minorities made up 12.1% of the total. First-year enrollment data include students who were repeating the year.