The Case for More U.S. Medical Students

Allopathic medical schools in the United States enroll and graduate a total of about 16,000 students a year — a number that has been remarkably consistent for two decades.1 Interest in medical education has remained high throughout this period, with the result that more applications to medical schools have been rejected every year than have been accepted, despite the excellent qualifications of many of the candidates whose applications are rejected. At the same time, the number of entry-level residency positions in U.S. teaching hospitals has greatly exceeded the number of graduates of U.S. medical schools. As a result, teaching hospitals . . .