Profession
Medical school leader calls for 30% hike in number of U.S. graduates
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Dec. 5, 2005
The United States needs more doctors, and they ought to come from U.S. allopathic medical schools, said Jordan J. Cohen, MD, president of the Assn. of American Medical Colleges.
Speaking during the AAMC's November meeting, Dr. Cohen said enrollment at U.S. allopathic schools should be raised 30%, increasing the number of U.S. physicians entering the pipeline by 5,000 each year. "We are recognizing how dependent we are on physicians coming from medical schools abroad," he said.
Dr. Cohen's personal recommendation differs from existing AAMC policy, which supports a 15% increase in allopathic enrollment by 2015, coupled with a corresponding increase in residency positions.
Dr. Cohen said he did not see the need for a 30% increase in residency positions. He said the AAMC's support of a 15% increase was adequate.
The increase in U.S. graduates would still leave room for 1,000 international medical graduates to enter U.S. residencies each year, he said.
To reach his 5,000-student target, Dr. Cohen said each of the AAMC's 125 member schools would need to expand by 30 students per class, and eight new schools with 150 students per class would need to be built.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/12/05/prbf1205.htm.
