New York Medical College: an early center of excellence in American medical education

Abstract

Originating in 1850, the New York Medical College was one of the earliest medical schools to adopt the educational reforms advocated by the American Medical Association. This college lengthened the school term, employed more professors than usual and established a separate Board of Censors to approve students for their medical degrees. In addition, the New York Medical College initiated bedside clinical teaching using a 27 bed hospital under its own control. In an era when many medical schools were little more than diploma mills, the New York Medical College created educational reforms that were not adopted by other schools until many years later. Due to a combination of causes the New York Medical College only existed from 1850 to 1864. However, the effort to reform medical education was significant and should not be overlooked. Incidentally, the New York Medical College of 1850 to 1864 was in no way related to the currently existing medical school of the same name.