6/23/98
ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine is the nation's No. 1 medical school in producing family doctors, according to a study of 143 U.S. medical schools by the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) Foundation.
The AMSA, an independent organization of more than 30,000 medical students from 125 allopathic and 18 osteopathic medical schools across the country, reviewed the most recent data on the number of graduates in primary-care residencies from 125 allopathic (M.D.) and 18 osteopathic (D.O.) medical schools and published its findings in the April-May issue of New Physician magazine.
OUCOM was rated No.1 with 72 percent of its 1996 graduating class in family practice residencies, according to AMSA's third annual Primary-Care Scorecard. In the broader category of primary care -- including family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics and general obstetrics and gynecology -- OUCOM ranked third in the nation with 80 percent of its graduates pursuing residencies in these disciplines.
OUCOM's 80 percent primary-care residency figure is the highest among Ohio's seven medical schools. Wright State University was second with 46 percent and Ohio State University ranked third with 43 percent, according to the study.
"The U.S. Bureau of Health Professions is invested in seeing the proportion of medical school graduates who enter family medicine and other generalist fields increase above the current national average of 35 percent," said Neil Sampson, an administrator in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration.
"The Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine's rate of 72 percent is a true accomplishment and demonstrates the kind of leadership so important if our health-care system is going to meet the needs of all Americans," Sampson said.
OUCOM Dean Barbara Ross-Lee said primary care has always been the focus of osteopathic medical training.
"Our high placement is a result of the osteopathic profession's longstanding commitment and track record in primary care, strong primary care-centered curricula and recruitment missions, and the high number of primary care physician role models involved in the educational process," Ross-Lee said.
In 1992, the AMSA developed Generalist Physicians in Training (GPIT) in response to a growing concern among students that U.S. medical schools weren't producing enough general practitioners. The goal of GPIT, which conducted the survey, is to foster involvement in medical generalism among students and to increase the number of allopathic and osteopathic medical school graduates entering the fields of family practice, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology. GPIT is supported by a contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.