Study Finds Med School Enrollment Rising to Meet Demand for Doctors

Washington, D.C. (AHN) – First year enrollment in both existing and new medical schools rose by 2 percent this year over 2008, a good sign in view of the nation’s continuing need for more doctors.

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) on Tuesday released the data revealing increased enrollment, with this year’s first-year medical students totaling 18,400.

“The nation’s medical schools are working hard to meet the growing demand for more physicians by boosting their enrollment,” said AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D. “But we must also increase the number of residency training slots to prevent a bottleneck in the pipeline of new physicians, and ensure access to care for the millions of Americans who hopefully will attain coverage under health care reform.”

AAMC officials also note that the bump in medical school enrollment would not have been possible without four new medical schools that accounted for half the seat for the 2 percent increase in first-year students in medical school. The rest of the increase was made possible by 12 existing medical schools expanding the number of available slots for first-year medical students by 7 percent, or more.

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