EDUCATIONAL-PROGRAMS IN US MEDICAL-SCHOOLS, 1995-1996

We present herein data on US medical education programs and describe h ow medical schools are adapting to a changing health care environment. The data mainly derive from the 1995-1996 Liaison Committee on Medica l Education Medical School Questionnaire, which had a 100% response ra te. The data indicate that in the 1995-1996 academic year there were 9 1 451 full-time faculty members in basic science and clinical departme nts, a 1.6% increase from 1994-1995. In clinical departments, major in creases occurred in emergency medicine (a 10.6% increase in full-time faculty) and family medicine (a 13.5% increase). Applicants for the cl ass entering in 1995 numbered 46591, an increase of 2.7% from 1994; ho wever, the number of first-time applicants decreased slightly (0.6%). Of the 17 357 applicants accepted, 2179 (12.6%) were members of underr epresented minority groups. Health system changes are affecting medica l school clinical affiliations. During the past 2 years, 42 schools sa w a merger, acquisition, or closure involving medical school-owned or medical school-affiliated hospitals used for core clinical clerkships. At 15 sites, this change affected the distribution of students across clinical sites. In 1995-1996, 40 medical schools or their universitie s owned a health maintenance organization or other managed care organi zation, 93 schools contracted with a managed care organization to prov ide primary care services, and 96 schools contracted with managed care to provide specialty services. During the past year, 57 schools acqui red primary care physician practices, and 70 started primary care clin ics in the community.