NC medical schools increase enrollment

CORRECTION: Due to a reporting error, the original version of this article said the UNC School of Medicine admitted 180 of 550 applicants. This figure is incorrect — there were 5,125 applicants and 550 interviewees. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.

As the country faces a shortage of doctors, North Carolina medical schools are making a concerted effort to provide for the needs of the state.

In 2006, the American Association of Medical Colleges estimated a shortage of 90,000 doctors by 2020 and asked medical schools to increase enrollment by 30 percent.

And Dr. Darrell Kirch, president and CEO of the association, said in a recent teleconference that medical schools have responded.

Since 2011, the number of applicants to U.S. medical schools increased by 3.1 percent to a total of 45,266. First-time enrollment reached 19,517 students, the highest amount since the association began tracking these statistics in 1989.

Dr. Robert Bashford, associate dean for admissions at the UNC School of Medicine, said that in response to the looming shortage of doctors nationally and in the state, the school has increased its class size by 20 students in the last two years. The school admitted 180 out of 5,125 applicants this year.

The school has also initiated a program to identify and train physicians to work in the state’s rural areas by engaging students with a tailored curriculum, he said.

The rural scholars program will gather medical students who grew up in rural areas with a desire to return as primary care physicians, he said, adding that other states have seen success with similar programs.

“We have done all the ground work,” he said. “We’re going to pick the rural scholars in early 2013.”

Dr. James Peden, associate dean for admissions for East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, said the highest need lies with primary care positions.

He said 32 percent of graduates practice in underserved areas, and 19 percent serve rural communities.

Peden said this year, the school enrolled its largest class ever with 80 students — the maximum number that can be accommodated with its current facilities.

The mission of Duke University School of Medicine focuses more on training specialists, said Dr. Edward Buckley, vice dean for education.

“I’m still not sure that what we need is more doctors,” he said, adding that Duke has increased its nurse practitioner, physician assistant and physical therapy programs to provide more mid-level professionals who can care for chronic disease.

But Buckley said the nation might be facing another crisis — too many medical students and not enough residency positions.

“The number of federally funded residency slots has been stable and stagnant for the last 15 years,” Buckley said.

Kirch said without a change in legislation, new doctors won’t be able to finish training and practice in their communities.

“Until Congress lifts the cap on residency training, America won’t have enough doctors,” he said.

Contact the desk editor at state@dailytarheel.com.