Fact sheet on Georgia's medical schools [Mar. 2007]

Georgia Board for Physician Workforce Fact Sheet on Georgia's Medical Schools
March 2007

How does Georgia compare to other states in terms of the number of medical students per capita?
Georgia continues to rank well below the national average in the number of medical students per
100,000 population. According to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), Georgia ranks 35th in medical students per capita among the 45 states that have medical schools.
(Source: AAMC Center for Workforce Studies; AAMC Key Physician Data by State: Version (8), Figure 4, Updated on 01-07-06)
As the new osteopathic medical school (Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Georgia
Campus) builds to a total enrollment of approximately 400 students, Georgia should see its ratio improve from 19 to an estimated 22 medical students per capita (compared to the national average of 26.6 medical students per 100,000 population as of January 2006).
The Medical College of Georgia (MCG), Emory University School of Medicine, Mercer University
School of Medicine, and Morehouse School of Medicine all plan to increase medical student enrollment to meet the growing demand for physicians. In addition, preliminary discussions are being held to open an MCG satellite campus in Athens in partnership with the University of Georgia and Mercer is working with Memorial Health University Medical Center to potentially expand the number of medical students being trained on the Savannah campus. Any or all of these actions would serve to increase Georgia's rate of medical students per capita.

Profile of Georgia's Medical Schools

Medical School

Total Enrollment 2006-2007

% of Students who are GA Residents

Medical College of Georgia (MCG)

734

Emory Univ. School of Medicine

455

Mercer Univ. School of Medicine

245

Morehouse School of Medicine

210

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic

86

Medicine (GA Campus)2

99.5% 33% 100% 54% 38%

% of Minority1 Students Enrolled
29% 39% 16% 86% 35%

Tuition Only1 For Incoming
Freshmen Academic Year
2006-2007 $12,350 $37,800 $33,000 $26,000 $34,773

1As reported by the medical schools. Figures reflect tuition only, EXCEPT in the case of Mercer. Mercer University School of Medicine sets an annual rate, which includes both tuition and fees.
2 Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Georgia Campus, accepted its first medical school class in August 2005.

The 2006-2007 average tuition for incoming freshmen attending one of Georgia's four private
medical schools is $32,893.

On average, about 1/3 of Georgia's medical school graduates stay in Georgia to complete their
residency training.

Mercer only accepts Georgia residents and historically, approximately 63% of Mercer's graduates
remained in Georgia to practice medicine upon completion of their training.

Morehouse is one of four predominately black medical schools in the nation. Historically,
approximately 48% of Morehouse graduates remained in Georgia to practice medicine upon completion of their training.

Morehouse School of Medicine Alumni Practicing in Georgia (all specialties)
As of June 30, 2006

Mercer University School of Medicine Alumni Practicing in Georgia (all specialties)
As of June 30, 2006

12

1

1

1

1

19

4

3

13

3

23

93*

5

1

6

3

6 71

1

1 1

1

5

2

1

3

2

1

2

1

Total Graduates = 500 Total In-State = 239 (48%) Total Out-of-State =261 (52%)

2 4

1 1

1

1

4

4

1

1 1

2
Prepared by the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce Reflects graduates from MSM's M.D. Program 1985-2006 (undergraduate only does not include residency program (graduate medical education) graduates)
* Graduates practicing in Atlanta were included in the Fulton County total.

1
p:\outcomes\medshop\msm-loc1985-2006

11

5

3

2

1

3

18 3

1

32

4

22

1 72

Total Graduates = 655 Total In-State = 415 (63%) Total Out-of-State = 240 (37%)

3 19

3

3

3
3 1

2 1

23

17 1

1

1

1

5

6

5 2

2

2

5

31

2

4

88

1 1 4 1
3

7

4 13 3

6

2

2

1

2

5

11

2 28

1

1

1

4

6 1
2

1 3

2 34

2

4

24

1 3
1 9

1

4

1

2

3

2

Prepared by the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce

p:\research\outcomes\medschop\musm-loc06

The Medical College of Georgia is the state's only public medical school and MCG graduates the
largest number of medical students each year. Data from the American Medical Association (AMA) indicates approximately 51.3% of MCG's medical school graduates are practicing in Georgia. (Source:
AMA Directory of Physicians in the U.S.: 2006 CD-ROM. Reflects data as of June 2005.)
The AMA data also shows approximately 38.1% of Emory University School of Medicine M.D.
graduates are practicing in Georgia. (Source: AMA Directory of Physicians in the U.S.: 2006 CD-ROM. Reflects data as of
June 2005.)
Nationally, the average retention rate for medical school graduates is 39%. Based on the national
benchmark, Georgia's medical schools are doing a good job producing physicians to meet the workforce needs of the state. (Source: AMA Masterfile, January 2005.)
Why does Georgia provide funding to private medical schools?
Of the 10 largest states, all but Georgia have at least three public medical schools. Georgia is the largest state in the country with only one public medical school. In FY 2006, Emory, Morehouse, and Mercer trained 56% of the medical graduates and 53%
entering core specialties (primary care specialties and/or general surgery). Nearly 52% of students currently enrolled in these three medical schools are Georgia residents.
The cost to the state = $33,146,639 (represents combined funding to Mercer, Morehouse, and
Emory in the FY 2007 budget).
The average cost of operating a medical school is over $90,000,000 per year. (Source: Association
of American Medical Colleges annual medical school financial survey.)
The public/private partnerships with Emory, Morehouse, and Mercer have been cost effective,
utilizing public funds to leverage private resources to provide outstanding value for taxpayers.
Many medical students graduate with educational loan debt of $100,000 or more. In fact, the
average debt of graduating medical students increased by 8.5% in 2006. (Source: Association of American Medical Colleges) Without state support, the medical schools would have to increase tuition.
Students would have to pay tuition of approximately $90,000 per year if public funding was
withdrawn, further increasing student debt and making the field of medicine less attractive.
For more information, please contact the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce at (404) 206-5420 or 1718 Peachtree St, NW, Suite 683, Atlanta, Georgia 30309.