Education programs in US medical schools, 1995-1996

Abstract

We present herein data on US medical education programs and describe how medical schools are adapting to a changing health care environment. The data mainly derive from the 1995-1996 Liaison Committee on Medical Education Medical School Questionnaire, which had a 100% response rate. The data indicate that in the 1995-1996 academic year there were 91 451 full-time faculty members in basic science and clinical departments, a 1.6% increase from 1994-1995. In clinical departments, major increases occurred in emergency medicine (a 10.6% increase in full-time faculty) and family medicine (a 13.5% increase). Applicants for the class entering in 1995 numbered 46 591, an increase of 2.7% from 1994; however, the number of first-time applicants decreased slightly (0.6%). Of the 17 357 applicants accepted, 2179 (12.6%) were members of underrepresented minority groups. Health system changes are affecting medical school clinical affiliations. During the past 2 years, 42 schools saw a merger, acquisition, or closure involving medical school-owned or medical school-affiliated hospitals used for core clinical clerkships. At 15 sites, this change affected the distribution of students across clinical sites. In 1995-1996, 40 medical schools or their universities owned a health maintenance organization or other managed care organization, 93 schools contracted with a managed care organization to provide primary care services, and 96 schools contracted with managed care to provide specialty services. During the past year, 57 schools acquired primary care physician practices, and 70 started primary care clinics in the community.