The 2008 Application Season Is About to Begin!

Medical school applicants will be able to access the 2008 editions of the centralized online application systems for M.D. and D.O. programs soon.

AMCAS, the medical school application service run by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), is scheduled to go online on May 3. Although not all application features may be available at that time, applicants should be able to register for accounts and to begin inputting their basic application information.

Almost all U.S. schools that award M.D. degrees use AMCAS. The significant exceptions are the 6 state-supported medical schools in Texas, which have their own centralized application system, known as TMDSAS; the University of North Dakota; and the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

AACOMAS, the centralized application system for osteopathic medical schools, is scheduled to go online in June.

The personal statement is a major component of the primary essays that med school applicants submit through these centralized systems. It's important for applicants to remember that these essays will be seen by the admissions committee of every school the primary application is submitted to, whereas the personal statement submitted with a secondary application will be read at only one school. For more information about why this makes a difference to how you approach your essay, see the Medical Services page on the AllStarEssays website.

More LSU Grads Choosing to Stay in Louisiana

Almost one-half of Louisiana State University's fourth-year medical students chose to stay in-state for residencies this year, according to the LSU Health Sciences Center's Match Day results.

LSUHSC also filled 93 per cent of its own residencies, up from 87 per cent in the last year before Hurricane Katrina.

LSUHSC and state officials are pleased with the outcome, since physicians tend to stay and practice in the state where they conducted their residency.

Source: "FEMA Funding RSD's Temporary Classrooms," by Stephen Maloney. New Orleans CityBusiness, March 26, 2007.

Match Day 2007

Thousands of fourth-year medical students across the U.S. received envelopes last Friday that contained the name of the hospitals and programs where they will be spending the next several years.

March 16 was 'Match Day,' the annual day on which the National Resident Matching Program announes the outcome of medical students' residency applications. The Match results are sent to schools, which distribute them to students.

According to news reports, over 27,000 applicants took part in this year's Match. Approximately 15,200 were fourth-year students at LCME-accredited (allopathic) medical schools, while the remainder were from osteopathic or foreign medical schools. Approximately 21,845 residencies were available.

44 per cent of the Harvard Medical School's 180 graduating students opted for primary care residencies. Approximately 33 per cent of HMS grads chose internal medicine, and 8 per cent chose emergency care.

49 per cent of Tufts students selected primary care residencies and 18 per cent chose surgical specialties. 5 per cent will perform residencies in the U.S. military.

Over one-third of Louisiana State University's graduating class of 92 students chose primary care residencies. 28 LSU graduates will continue their residencies at the LSU Hospital.

Most U.S. medical schools will hold commencement ceremonies in mid-May. Newly-minted M.D.s will report to their residencies in late June or July.

OHSU Extends 3rd-Year Training to Mid-Valley Region

The Oregon Health & Science University is reported to have reached an agreement with Oregon State University that will allow third-year medical students to train at hospitals in Corvallis, Albany and Lebanon.

An OHSU official said the satellite program would help the school realize its goal of increasing medical student enrollment by a third. As the only medical school in the state, OHSU is being called on to play a major role in addressing Oregon's growing shortage of trained physicians.

Last fall, OHSU enrolled 120 first-year students. A typical class profile is as follows:

Applications received: Over 4,000*
Applicants interviewed: Over 420*
Applicants accepted: 218
Students enrolled: 120

Average age: 26
Average GPA (overall): 3.63
Average GPA (science) 3.57
Average MCAT: 31
Re-applicants: 32 per cent

* NOTE: Only 9 per cent of applicants were from Oregon, whereas 70 per cent of matriculating students are state residents.

Stanford, Duke, Michigan Deans Talk About Diveristy

The Deans of Admission for the medical schools at Stanford, Duke, and the University of Michigan spoke about diversity and the medical profession at a recent panel hosted by the Yale College Dean’s Office and the Yale Health Professions Advisory Program.

The three agreed that health care professionals have the potential to promote positive social change through their practice of medicine. "Medicine offers you a license to do an amazing amount of good," said Stanford's Dr. Gabriel Garcia.

They agreed that extracurricular and community activities played an important role in their own preparation for medical school and that their schools look for applicants now who are not only strong academically but also active outside the classroom.

One of the deans noted that there is a significant difference between a technician and a healer, and that medical schools are looking for candidates with the ethical and social perspectives required of healers.

Source: "Panel Addresses Med. School Diversity," by Alyssa Nguyen-Phuc, the Yale Daily News, January 30, 2007

U. of Hawaii Gets Record High Number of Applications

The University of Hawaii's John A. Burns School of Medicine has received over 1,900 applications for the 64 first-year class spaces available in Fall 2007.

This year's applicant pool marks a 16.5 per cent increase from last year and sets a record high for the number applications submitted to the School in a single admissions season.

Only 223 of this year's applications are from Hawaii residents, while the remainder are from non-residents. The School's policy is to enroll no more than 6 out-of-state students in each class.

Source: "University of Hawaii Medical School Attracts Record-High Number of Applicants," by Gregg Takayama, the Hawaii Reporter, January 12, 2007

Virginia Plans Fifth Medical School

rVirginia officials have confirmed their interest in establishing a new state-supported medical school, the fifth one in that state.

The school would be a partnership between Virginia Tech and Carilion Health System and would be built somewhere in the Roanoke region.

Virginia is presently home to three state-supported medical schools and one private medical school. State officials are concerned that the existing schools are not able to train enough physicians to keep pace with the healthcare needs of Virginia's growing and aging population.

Source: "Kaine to Announce Plans for a 5th Medical School in Virginia," by Sue Lindsey, AP (Roanoke, VA), January 2, 2007

Case Western Plans Joint M.D./D.M.D. Degree Program

Case Western University is launching an innovative joint degree program this fall that will graduate health care professionals with degrees in medicine and dentistry.

The program, the first of its kind in the country, will enroll approximately five students each fall. Students will pursue a five-year curriculum that is similar to the training that oral surgeons -- who undergo a medical residency following dental school -- undergo.

Students will qualify for dental licensure upon graduation, and for medical licensure after completion of a medical residency.

Case officials said that the program grew out of a growing appreciation for the linkages between physical and oral health. For example, recent research has found linkages between gum disease and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and fetal development.

Graduates of the M.D./D.M.D. program are expected to be well-prepared for expanded general practice dentistry, for further dental and medical specialization, and for research careers.

Source: "Combining Medical and Dental Education," by Paul Thacker, Inside Higher Education, January 3, 2007

Panel Wants U. of Indiana to Increase Enrollment by 30 Per Cent

The Indiana University School of Medicine needs to take in 30 per cent more students over the coming decade to keep pace with the state's growing demand for medical professionals, a task force convened by the University says.

If the School does not increase its enrollment, Indiana residents will face a shortage of as many as 1,975 physicians by 2015, the task force said.

The IU School of Medicine is already one of the largest medical schools in the country, enrolling 280 new students each fall. Approximately half of the physicians who practice in Indiana either hold an M.D. from IU or have taken additional professional training there.

Source: "Task Force: IU Med School Should Boost Enrollment," Inside INdiana Business, December 20, 2006

Yale Considers Expansion to Palm Beach

The Yale School of Medicine is exploring the possibility of opening a new branch facility in Palm Beach, Florida.

If it materializes, the Palm Beach facility would represent Yale's first out-of-state expansion.

The facility would most likely be an outpatient clinic that also serves as a teaching center.

Source: "Yale Medical School Looks at Expansion Into County," by Patty Pansa, the Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL), December 15, 2006

U. of Kansas Tops Family Practitioners List

The University of Kansas School of Medicine places more M.D.s in family medicine residencies than any other medical school in the U.S., according to a recent survey by the American Academy of Family Physicians.

In recent years, over 1 in 5 Kansas graduates have chosen family medicine as their specialty. 39 of the School's 2005 graduates went into family medicine residencies.

The AAFP report also found that graduates of publicly-funded medical schools were more likely to go into family medicine than private medical school graduates are. 9.9 per cent of graduates from publicly-funded medical schools were in family medicine residencies in the fall of 2005, compared to 5.8 per cent of private school graduates.

The AAFP has previously reported that the number of M.D.s going into family medicine has fallen by more than half since 1997, contributing to a projected nationwide shortfall of family physicans by 2020.

Source: "KU School of Medicine Ranks #1 in Number of Graduates Choosing a Family Medicine Residency" - press release, the University of Kansas Medical Center (Kansas City, KS), December 11, 2006

Wake Forest Dean Elected to Lead Am College of Physicians

Wake Forest University School of Medicine Dean William B. Applegate, M.D., has been elected to head the Board of Regents of the American College of Physicians for 2007-2008.

The ACP is the leading national organization representing physicians working in internal medicine and its subspecialties. It has approximately 120,000 members, including medical students. Its activities include public policy advocacy, supporting continuing medical education, and publishing the Annals of Internal Medicine. The Board of Regents is the main policy-making body of the ACP and oversees its business operations.

Applegate was named Dean of the Wake Forest School of Medicine in 2002. He previously served as chair of the internal medicine department. He is nationally recognized as an outstanding clinician and for his research in managing hypertension in elderly patients.

Application Volume Up 55 Per Cent at U of Kentucky

As of Thanksgiving week, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine had already received almost 1,240 applications for fall 2007 enrollment. That number marks a 55 per cent increase over last year's application volume.

The UK College of Medicine enrolls 103 first-year M.D. students each fall.

Source: "Medical School Applications Increase by 55 Percent," Jill Laster, The Kentucky Kernel (Lexington, Kentucky), November 22, 2006

LSU Returns to New Orleans

Louisiana State University has reopened its University Hospital in New Orleans on a limited basis, marking the post-Katrina return of LSU residents and staff to the city.

The Hospital's emergency room, intensive care unit, and a restricted number of general medical care beds were scheduled to back in operation. 85 of the Hospital's orginal 575 beds are available.

LSU's hospital system is working with U.S. federal authorities to rebuild New Orlean's health care system. University Hospital will be the only training hospital in New Orleans until a new facility is build to replace Charity Hospital. Spokesmen for LSU's Health Care Services Division caution that a new facility is still years away, and that funds still need to be secured for the project. If and when a new training hospital is built, University Hospital will probably be turned over for clinical research.

Source: "Scaled Back Hospital Reopens," by Kate Moran, the Times-Picayune (New Orleans), November 17, 2006