Robert C. Bowman, M.D.
Older Allopathic Medical Schools and those initiated early in medical school expansion era did not distribute graduates into primary care, family medicine, or rural locations to the same degree as the newer schools. The new allopathic medical schools beginning operation since 1971 had a 55 % increase in graduation of physicians who were in rural locations in 2004 (10.2 % for pre 1973, 16.1 % for new).
These distributional schools include Mercer (1973 start), Northeast Ohio, Wright State, Eastern Virginia, U of South Carolina, Marshall, Morehouse, Oral Roberts (now closed), and East Tennessee State. Duluth also began operation during this time period. These are the same schools that have the highest choice of family medicine and primary care choice in allopathic medical schools. These schools were much more likely to have significant family medicine influences from their creation. Unfortunately they also shared the common characteristic of a smaller class size.
New Allopathic School Impacts for 1987 - 2000 Allopathic Graduates
|
|
% FPGP |
% Rural FPGP |
% in Office Based Primary Care |
% Locating in Zips with over 20 % in Poverty |
% of Students who were over 29 yrs at Graduation |
% of Students Admitted who were Unlikely to Choose FP by Birth Origins |
|
Older |
13.1% |
3.1% |
30.4% |
15.2% |
20.5% |
74.3% |
|
Since 1971 |
17.6% |
3.8% |
33.9% |
17.1% |
24.5% |
69.6% |
|
All |
14.1% |
3.3% |
31.2% |
15.6% |
21.3% |
73.1% |
FP Unlikely include 50 % born in US counties over 1 million and 14 % born in other countries
FP Likely includes those born in the US in counties of less than 1 million. The medical schools with the lowest FP and rural location rates have the highest FP unlikely student compositions, in come cases over 90 %. Half of US allopathic schools have over 70 % FP unlikely.
Even with the improved versions, allopathic schools still do not distribute as well as osteopathic schools or the Caribbean schools. Rural Physician Numbers in the US
see Reimbursement and Physician Distribution