Profession
More doctors in the pipeline
■ An occasional snapshot of current facts and trends in medicine.
Quick View. Posted June 6, 2005
Medical schools are starting to increase enrollment in response to growing concerns of a looming physician shortage.
| Enrollment | Increase | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-04 (first-year) |
Existing schools | New schools | Total | Change | |
| Allopathic schools | 16,538 | 650-900 | 100-500 | 750-1,400 | 4.5%-7.3% |
| Osteopathic schools | 3,079 | 450-900 | 150-450 | 600-1,350 | 24.6%-43.8% |
| Total | 19,617 | 1,100-1,800 | 250-950 | 1,350-2,750 | 6.9%-14% |
By 2020, expansion plans will put an estimated 30,000 additional physicians into a work force of 972,000 physicians, bringing the total to 1,002,000. Existing and new schools expect to reach the following targets for first-year enrollment increases by 2010. Because not all plans are final, estimates were given in ranges.
Source: AAMC Center for Workforce Studies












