Getting into medical school easier when fewer compete

The number of students hoping to get into U.S. medical schools fell for the fifth year straight, while the number of positions remained constant.

By Myrle Croasdale, amednews staff. Sept. 23/30, 2002.

Half of all 2001 applicants to U.S. medical schools were accepted -- the best ratio for physician wanna-bes in the last five years.

The number of applicants fell 6% compared with 2000 and 9.5% compared with 1999, according to data collected by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and published in the Sept. 4 medical education theme issue of JAMA.

Slimmer pickings
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Public perceptions of decreasing physician autonomy and rising medical school debt may be motivating this trend.

But while the number of applicants sank, data show the number accepted has remained near 17,000 for the past 20 years.

The demographics of the medical student population haven't changed much either. For the academic year 2001-2002, the number of women and minorities was similar to the number in 1999-2000, with women making up 45.7% of medical students and minorities 12.6%.

Student test scores on the medical school entrance exam were stable as well, though it's possible this may change if the number of applicants continues to trend lower.

The number of applicants to medical school fell 6% in 2001.

"While most medical schools receive many times the number of applications as they have positions, the characteristics of the applicant pool and of new entrants should be monitored," the authors stated. "This is especially the case for public medical schools, in which the majority of entrants typically are from the state in which the school is located, indicating that the pool of potential applicants may be limited."

The study also revealed the median medical school debt during the 2001-2002 academic year rose 9.5% for private schools and 13.3% for public schools.

In another study published in the Sept. 4 JAMA, researchers found that between 1995 and 2001 there was a 45.5% drop in the number of international medical graduates taking the first exam for license certification.

The number of IMGs awarded Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates certificates plummeted from a range of 9,000 to 12,000 in 1995 to 1998 to fewer than 6,000 in 1999 to 2001. IMGs have consistently made up a quarter of the physician workforce and the medical resident population. According to the study's authors, the number of IMGs certified annually continues to fill most GME positions not taken by U.S. medical graduates.

The addition of the clinical skills assessment to test spoken English and clinical skills is thought to be one reason the IMG numbers fell, with some saying the cost of these exams, particularly the clinical skills test, was also a significant factor.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Slimmer pickings

A decline in the number of medical school applicants is leaving schools with fewer possible students to choose from, but the number of students accepted annually continues to hover around 17,000, as it has for the past 20 years.

Academic
year      Applicants
--------  ----------
1990-91    29,243
1991-92    33,301
1992-93    37,410
1993-94    42,808
1994-95    45,365
1995-96    46,591
1996-97    46,968
1997-98    43,020
1998-99    41,004
1999-00    38,529
2000-01    37,092
2001-02    34,859

Source: Assn. of American Medical Colleges, JAMA