Recruiting Students for Medicine
Authors: Michael C. Geokas
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1989)

Perspective1 September 1989Recruiting Students for MedicineMichael C. Geokas, MD, PhD, Barbara J. Branson, MDMichael C. Geokas, MD, PhDSearch for more papers by this author, Barbara J. Branson, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-111-5-433 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptThe applicant-to-acceptance ratio in the nation's 127 medical schools has slowly but steadily declined during the last decade to 1.7:1 (60.5% acceptance rate) for the 1987-1988 academic year. The 28 123 applicants in this academic year represent a decrease of 3200 applicants from the previous year. The decline in the number of applicants is even more striking because it occurred despite the welcome increase of female applicants between 1965 to 1988 (36% of the entering class in the 1987-1988 academic year). The laudable changes in the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) examination, which take effect in 1991, will not solve this problem. We believe that the causes of the flight away from medicine as a career are several and represent the combined effect of changes in the practice of medicine itself and their negative impact on the profession, as well as deeply-seated shifts in values, attitudes, and aspirations among the young people in our society. We discuss several factors concerning the phenomenon in question and offer some suggestions concerning solutions for this important problem. Our goal in this brief essay is to stimulate discussion and awareness among physicians concerning medical school admissions and to galvanize into action the medical profession and other key persons who are keenly interested in high-quality health care for our people....References1. Jason H. In: Simpson MA, ed. Medical Education; A Critical Approach. London: Butterworths; 1972:xi. Google Scholar2. Physicians for the twenty-first century. Report of the Project Panel on the General Professional Education of the Physician and College Preparation for Medicine. J Med Educ. 1984;59:1-208. Google Scholar3. JonasEtzel HS. Undergraduate medical education. JAMA. 1988;260:1063-71. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Crowley A. 86th annual report on medical education in the United States. JAMA. 1986;256:1545-6. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Halloran R. Military Academies are becoming even tougher on body and mind. New York Times. 1988 May 22;4:4. Google Scholar6. Petersdorf R. The Scylla and Charybdis of medical education. J Med Educ. 1988;63:88-93. MedlineGoogle Scholar7. Leggett R. The Martinez VA Hospital's unique premedical program. Congressional Record. 1976 Apr 12:122:E1984-86. Google Scholar8. Boxer B. Key concepts concerning the Martinez VA Premedical Program under the direction of Michael C. Geokas, M.D., Ph.D. Congressional Record. 1983 June 2:129:E2659-60. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Michael C. Geokas, MD, PhD; Barbara J. Branson, MDAffiliations: From the University of California, Davis School of Medicine and the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Martinez, California; and the John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek, California. For current author addresses, see end of text. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byDeveloping Professionalism across the GenerationsRecruiting for MedicineJames H. Thorpe, MDRecruiting for Occupational MedicineRon Teichman, MD, MPHThe Changing Demography of the Medical ProfessionReforms Needed in Medical Practice and EducationDaniel Reinharth, MD 1 September 1989Volume 111, Issue 5Page: 433-436KeywordsHealth careMedical services ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 September 1989 Copyright & Permissions© 1989 American College of PhysiciansPDF downloadLoading ...