AAMC Reports Major Increase in U.S. Medical School Enrollment

[sillystring]

This is from a recent AAMC press release and there is an attachment with 2005 applicant and enrollment data (it was too big to include as an attachment here)--looks like there's finally been an increase in enrollment after all these years. Read on...

http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/pressrel/2005/051025.htm

AAMC Reports Major Increase in U.S. Medical School Enrollment
Hispanics, Asians, and Men Fuel Upsurge in Applicants

For Immediate Release

Washington, D.C., Oct. 25, 2005 - U.S. medical schools are seeing a significant upsurge in enrollment levels and applicants, according to new data released today by the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges).
The 2005-2006 entering class is the largest on record, with more than 17,000 first-time enrollees in the nation's 125 medical schools, a 2.1 percent increase over the 2004 total of 16,648 students.
"With a physician workforce shortage looming, it's encouraging that more young people are attracted to a career in medicine, and that the efforts to increase student enrollment at U.S. medical schools are succeeding," said AAMC President Jordan J. Cohen, M.D. "This is a good beginning on the increase in the nation's supply of doctors that the AAMC believes is necessary to ensure that the health care needs of all Americans are met in the next decade."
Twenty-two of the nation's 125 allopathic schools (institutions that grant M.D. degrees) expanded their class size by 5 percent or more during the past year, with seven of these 22 institutions boosting first-year enrollment by more than 10 percent. Those seven schools are:

• Florida State University College of Medicine - 38 percent
Tallahassee, Florida
• Brown Medical School - up 20 percent
Providence, Rhode Island
• Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University - up 15 percent
Huntington, West Virginia
• University of Miami School of Medicine - up 14 percent
Miami, Florida
• Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine - up 13 percent
Rootstown, Ohio
• University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine - up 12 percent
Kansas City, Missouri
• Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University - 11 percent
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The total number of medical school applicants for the 2005-2006 school year also increased to 37,364, a 4.6 percent gain over last year's total of 35,735. Driving this increase were more Hispanic and Asian applicants. Overall, applications from Hispanic students rose by 6.4 percent, with applications from Mexican Americans up almost 8 percent over 2004. The number of Asian applicants increased to 7,286 from 6,737, an 8.1 percent increase over 2004. The number of black applicants was essentially unchanged at 2,809, and black enrollment declined slightly to 1,068 from the 2004 total of 1,086.
A gain in the number of male applicants also contributed to the overall applicant increase. For the first time in two years, men reclaimed the majority, with 50.2 percent of the applicant pool. This year there were 18,744 male applicants and 18,620 female applicants.

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[jebus]

I wonder why black enrollment went down. Granted, as an over-represented minority (Indian) it doesn't directly concern me, but that's a troubling trend, nonetheless.

 

[panorama]

umm...down by 18 people. I would hardly call that a "trend" ..now if this happened continuously over a number of years, that would be a different story.

What continues to intrigue me is that with all the hot debates that go on on these forums about URMs etc, in truth there are so few applicants in this category the first place.

 

[medhacker]

umm...down by 18 people. I would hardly call that a "trend" ..now if this happened continuously over a number of years, that would be a different story.

What continues to intrigue me is that with all the hot debates that go on on these forums about URMs etc, in truth there are so few applicants in this category the first place.

Jeopardy contestant says: "hmm what is a scapegoat?"

 

[jebus]

umm...down by 18 people. I would hardly call that a "trend" ..now if this happened continuously over a number of years, that would be a different story.

What continues to intrigue me is that with all the hot debates that go on on these forums about URMs etc, in truth there are so few applicants in this category the first place.

According to this: http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/pressrel/2003/031104.htm black enrollment decreased by 6% in 2003, despite a supreme court ruling allowing race as a factor in admissions. I can't find the data from other years, but I certainly hope it is not a trend.
That said, you have a point. URMs still account for a disproportionately small number of medical school applicants and matriculants. I think it underscores the need to promote higher education to those minority groups. Clearly, we as a nation have failed them if minorities have lower college graduation rates, higher infant mortality, shorter life expectancy, lower wages, more out-of-wedlock births, and are just not doing as well in general as whites and asians.
Now I'm just going to sit back and watch the flames for a while.

 

[willow18]

Donning fire helmet. Lately it seems every other thread somehow ends up in a URM/AA debate.

 

[panorama]

According to this: http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/pressrel/2003/031104.htm black enrollment decreased by 6% in 2003, despite a supreme court ruling allowing race as a factor in admissions. I can't find the data from other years, but I certainly hope it is not a trend.
That said, you have a point. URMs still account for a disproportionately small number of medical school applicants and matriculants. I think it underscores the need to promote higher education to those minority groups. Clearly, we as a nation have failed them if minorities have lower college graduation rates, higher infant mortality, shorter life expectancy, lower wages, more out-of-wedlock births, and are just not doing as well in general as whites and asians.
Now I'm just going to sit back and watch the flames for a while.

You are right. Those are the sad facts...prolly why the numbers are so small to begin with. Those applying to medical school are not necessarily representative of the larger picture, tho... who graduated from college,passed pre-med courses, took the MCAT, spent the ridiculous amounts of $$ (my friends going to planning to do other programs still marvel at the expense to get into medical school) and are going thru this gruelling application process just like everyone else, who may or may NOT be coming from that background you outlined.

 

[06applicant]

Jeopardy contestant says: "hmm what is a scapegoat?"

100% true. Many want to think they didn't get into school X because some URM took their place. It’s crazy how any non-minority can look at the numbers of whites and Asians accepted into medical school and still feel they didn’t have a fair shot.

 

[-Goose-]

anybody know the trend for AA applicants? if this number decreased by a similar amount as those enrolled, wouldn't it make sense that the # enrolled would also decrease?
...

 

[tennisnr2]

Seems somewhat misleading for AAMC to say only how enrollment has increased significantly because number of people applying has also dramatically increased. 4.6% more applicants than the previous year!.

 

[Nikki2002]

• Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine - up 13 percent
Rootstown, Ohio

*COUGH COUGH* oh excuse me......I just threw up a little there......

 

[medhacker]

Seems somewhat misleading for AAMC to say only how enrollment has increased significantly because number of people applying has also dramatically increased. 4.6% more applicants than the previous year!.

They did indicate the schools that had increased their #of seats. That = greater enrollment.

 

[catalystman]

When it comes to AA black people benefit from it the least(as a whole) but, are made the poster child for it b/c people generally don't like black people.

 

[Fermata]

When it comes to AA black people benefit from it the least(as a whole) but, are made the poster child for it b/c people generally don't like black people.

A very bold statement.

 

[biturbomunkie]

where you live? Texas??

people generally don't like black people.

 

[tigress]

Some schools have decreased enrollment, though. I'd be curious to find out which those are. I'm pretty sure Drexel has.

I wonder if an increase in enrollment could be a bad thing for schools like Jefferson. Most students saw benefits to having a large class, but some did mention that it makes administration more difficult, and there are annoying things like not being able to participate in Jeff HOPE, which is really popular, more than once.

Really, they ought to open a new med school. There are a few states that don't have one, so why not make some?

 

[catalystman]

where you live? Texas??

Just a true observation from speaking to people privately... notice I said generally...

 

[RustNeverSleeps]

A question about this: do med schools have to go through an approval process to increase the size of their class? I am curious about this because I believe residency programs need to get approval to change the size of their programs. If the number of med schools seats increase without a proportional increase in the number of residency slots, wouldn't that be somewhat problematic (or at least not that helpful)? There would be more people getting into med school, but it would be harder for some to get a residency...

 

[medgator]

Medical Schools DO have to get approval.... at least from the state, and my guess would be nationally. In-state public medical schools (even some of the private ones) are generally subsized by state government dollars for each medical student enrolled there. The tuition you pay is only a fraction of the total cost to educate you in medical school. They would probably need to get the go ahead from the state to increase class size (and therefore get more $$ from the state).

 

[dabigv13]

A question about this: do med schools have to go through an approval process to increase the size of their class? I am curious about this because I believe residency programs need to get approval to change the size of their programs. If the number of med schools seats increase without a proportional increase in the number of residency slots, wouldn't that be somewhat problematic (or at least not that helpful)? There would be more people getting into med school, but it would be harder for some to get a residency...

Considering something like 20% of residencies are filled by doctors from out of the country, I don't think 2% more US med students will make things more difficult. Perhaps slightly more competition for the highly sought after residencies like Derm.