Medical school enrollment climbs 1.9%

Enrollment in U.S. medical schools grew 1.9% in 2016 to 21,030 students, the Association of American Medical Colleges announced yesterday. The number of women who enrolled grew 6.2% for the year, to 10,474. Applications to U.S. medical schools rose by 0.9%, to a record 53,042, including 38,782 first-time applicants. Medical school classes also continued to diversify, with increases among Asian, African American and Latino students, the association said. “Between 2002 and 2016, U.S. medical school enrollment has risen by more than 27%,” said AAMC President and CEO Darrell Kirch, M.D. “Increasing the country’s overall supply of physicians, however, requires Congress to lift the cap it imposed in 1997 on federal support for residency training.” AHA urges Congress to lift the cap to create 15,000 new residency slots over a five-year period, as provided for in the bipartisan Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (S. 1148/H.R. 2124).