Brian1

I think it will get easier to get into medical school.

A few new medical schools are opening in the next couple of years and the AMA is increasing the number of spots in medical schools to meet the demand for medical doctors. So, there are going to be more spots available. The problem then will be matching into residencies, but I think that's good competition.

Tuition is still increasing even though salaries will probably decrease in the next few years. That will probably discourage a few people from applying.

And to be fair, an overall acceptance rate of 40% is pretty high in the grand scheme of things, especially considering a lot of people who aren't hardworking or smart enough shouldn't have applied in the first place.

I think people exaggerate how difficult it is to get into A medical school. Many unranked medical schools have low median MCATs and GPAs. Four out of five of my group from high school are now in medical school, and while they are smart, they were by no means the smartest people I knew. The smartest people ended up pursuing PhDs in Physics, Math or EECS.

LimitlessRx

Brian1, there has been talk about opening new medical schools to match the demand for MD's for about 10 years, it simply is a good theory that cannot be put into practice. There will not be a significant amount of "more spots" available to match demand.

Tuition is more likely to continue increasing with the evolution of technology, not decrease.

An acceptance rate of 40% is not high at all, we are talking about people who are definitely hardworking and smart enough. Nobody pays more than 8,000 dollars applying if they didn't think they had a shot. Sure, some may not be as qualified as they think, but they are smart and they are some of the top students in the nation.

We really don't exaggerate how difficult it is. The path is not easy. Personal experiences are not representative of anything.

Columbia09

I think Brian1 has a point in a way. I was also told that there will be new med schools to satisfy the demand of doctors needed. However, because doctors might be payed less, this might encourage students to become P.As or nurses instead. They simply can't make enough to cover their costs. And yes I agree that you don't have to be a brain to become a doctor. I have experience with this from my own doctor and a couple of people who went to my high school. While it is true that they weren't the bottom of the barrel, they weren't in the top 10 or 20 % of my school. I think really all you need is a good work ethic, dedication, common sense, a bit of book smarts, and above all a good communicator. And 8,000 dollars? I knew applying to med school was expensive but is it really that much?

i_wanna_be_Brown

AMCAS costs something like $130 for the first school and then 65 for each additional. Every secondary is 75-150 more, then you need to get to the interview (often flying) and stay somewhere. If you apply to 15 schools and get lots of interviews it will add up quickly. Don't forget that you had to pay for the MCAT and probably some prep work and buy/clean your suit.

Unless residency spots increase, increasing the number of medical students will accomplish nothing. I'd rather get rejected before medical school than after spending 4 years and $200,000 more dollars on my education.

jonri

YoHo, thanks for the link. I didn't realize things had gotten that bad.

As the link shows, Brown, there are more than enough residencies. It's just that the residencies aren't in the specialties that US med students want to enter. But the truth is that in some fields, at least in Manhattan, there is an oversupply of doctors.

So, we have the insane situation in which if a person is in a serious traffic accident in the Bronx and is taken to an emergency room in a coma there are VERY high odds he'll be treated by a physician who did not attend a US medical school. However, should his teenage daughter have acne, she'll be able to choose from a long list of dermatologists with amazing academic credentials. (Apparently, Manhattan has the highest dermatologist to population ratio in the US. )

IMO, this is nuts.

plumazul

@iwbB,
Actually, the total number of students can increase a significant amount before the residency bottleneck becomes a problem.

yoofiowarean

What about the international students? I think the percentage acceptance is 0.04%, why is this so

bluebayou

While yes, additional US med school grads will be able to a residency somewhere, that position will also displace an FMG. The net effect is no increase in practicing docs.

(Residency slots funded by Medicare have been capped at 100,000 since 1997.)

Not even close to the number of docs needed to service the booming and aging population. (Better check your sources!)

The AMA has almost nothing to do with this (besides conducting cademic research studies to Congress showing the shortfall.)

ginnyvere

Because a significant amount of US or state government money goes into training medical students. Aside from all the government money that goes into medical schools (and the fact that most medical students are at least partially dependent on federal loans for which international students are not eligible), all residency positions are funded in (large) part by Medicare. So there's an expectation that government money will be predominantly used to train US citizens.

Brian1

There are a few new medical schools opening up. I don't remember the names, but you can google it to figure it out.

Aren't you 18 and haven't been through college yet? I've been through college and grad school already. Every single one of my friends from high school who wanted to go to medical school got into medical school. I'm not lying. Most of them were smart, but not that smart. A few were not super good test takers and did "alright" in high school. And depending on where you went to college, getting As is not that hard. I believe that a lot of unqualified people are applying. And to make things easier for you, and since med schools like these types of applicants, you can major in a liberal art then do the premed reqs or do a post-bac. Depending on the school, doing either will probably make it easier to get good grades.

Right now I'd be wary of applying because of the high tuition costs, and potential salary decreases under Obamacare. Unless you really want to be a doctor, it's probably not worth all the debt although there are some really cheap in-state alternatives.

Regarding the other post, can't the AMA approve new schools to get more spots?

Columbia09

" Right now I'd be wary of applying because of the high tuition costs, and potential salary decreases under Obamacare. Unless you really want to be a doctor, it's probably not worth all the debt although there are some really cheap in-state alternatives. "

This is what I'm thinking about. So maybe P.A school isn't so bad.

jalfred

1. It's extremely difficult to get into medical school, and despite the dire warnings from previous, the number of applications keeps going up. The recently concluded application cycle had the highest number of applicants ever.
2. It's also extremely expensive with 1/4 of graduates owing over $200K.
3. If you graduate from a US medical school, you're pretty much guaranteed a residency(not necessarily the residency you want)
4. The economy is terrible and it appears that the recovery is very slow indeed.
5. Even so, most grads in medical professions-MD, DO, nurse, pharm, PA, etc-ares a hot property. As part of the GNP, medical care keeps growing, projected to hit almost 20% by 2020.

So it's up to you if you want MD or PA or Pharm...it's a matter of money, time, and interest. But don't kid yourself-since this is where the jobs are, it's tough to get into all medical fields(some more than others) and that's not going to change anytime soon.

Brian1

A few of my friends are graduating from state med schools with less than 80k in loans. Some of these schools are also easy to get into, with a greater than 30% acceptance rate for in-state. Since rankings don't matter much for med school, it sounds like a good deal. Besides cheap instate schools, med schools give out scholarships to people with high numbers. That said, a good percentage of med school students have their parents pay for all of it, so they have less to lose if they end up hating it. If you are paying for it on your own, you have a lot to consider. Maybe work for a few years to save up money so you will have to take out fewer loans. Plus, once you work you will be able to manage your schedule better and it's easier to get admitted as a non-trad since you will have an X factor.

bluebayou

Brian:

watch your comments about federal health care legislation. Any projections is pretty much a no-no on cc.

Brian1

https://www.aamc.org/download/270906...ridall0911.pdf

Hopefully this link gives you guys hope. Confirms that a lot of unqualified applicants are applying. According to this 27% of people with 3.2 to 3.39 get into medical school, and that's a pretty bad GPA at most schools. If you keep your GPA up past a 3.6, the odds will be in your favor of getting in. There's also no rush in going straight out, so you can study for the MCAT after you graduate and it will make things easier.