Fact sheet on Georgia's medical schools [Jan. 2009]

Georgia Board for Physician Workforce Fact Sheet on Georgia's Medical Schools
January 2009

What are Georgia's medical schools doing to help meet the need for more physicians?

The Medical College of Georgia (MCG), Emory University School of Medicine, Mercer University School of Medicine, and Morehouse School of Medicine are all increasing medical student enrollment in response to the need for more physicians. Georgia will also benefit from the new osteopathic medical school, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), Georgia Campus, which will graduate its first class in May 2009.

Existing expansion plans by the private medical schools, as well as the planned partnership between MCG and UGA to establish a medical school campus in Athens, will significantly improve Georgia's undergraduate medical education training capacity. If all plans are fully implemented (as outlined in the table below), Georgia should see its ratio of medical students per 100,000 population improve to an estimated 25 medical students per capita, which is closer to the national average of 29 medical students per capita. (Source: AAMC Center for Workforce Studies; 2007 State Physician Workforce Data Book; Nov. 2007.)

Georgia's Medical Schools Past, Current, & Projected Enrollment
2000-2020

Medical School

Past

Past

Enrollment: Enrollment:

2000/2001 2006/2007

Emory

439

455

MCG (and future campus at UGA)

711

734

Morehouse

153

210

Mercer

212

246

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) TOTAL ENROLLMENT(1)

0 1515

168 1813

Percentage Growth/Increase in Enrollment over the Previous Period

20%

GA's Rate of Medical Students per 100,000 Population(2)

18.0

19.0

(1) Enrollment figures provided by the medical schools. (2) Population Estimates and Projections: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division.

Current Enrollment: 2008/2009
498 750 217 279
338 2082
15%
21.7

Projected Enrollment:
2020 528
1200 300 366
336 2730
31%
25.2

What proportion of applicants and entrants into Georgia's medical schools are in-state residents?

In 2008, Georgia residents comprised only 20% of the total applicants to Georgia's medical schools. However, the percentage of in-state residents who matriculated/entered was 74%.

Applicants and Entrants into Georgia's Medical Schools Academic Year 2008

School

Applicants

Applicants

Matriculants

Matriculants

By In-State Status

Entering

By In-State Status

In-State

Out-of-State

In-State

Out-of-State

#

%

#

%

#

%

#

%

Emory

6,055 642 11% 5,413 89%

128

45 35% 83

65%

MCG

2,102 1,059 50% 1,043 50%

190

188 99% 2

1%

Mercer

773

772 99.9% 1

0.1%

90

90 100% 0

0%

Morehouse

3,753 443 12% 3,310 88%

56

34 61% 22

39%

PCOM

2,358 147 6% 2,211 94%

86

51 59% 35

41%

TOTAL

15,041 3,063 20% 11,978 80%

550

408 74% 142 26%

Sources: Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC); http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2008/2008school.htm for Emory, MCG, Mercer, Morehouse figures. Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Georgia Campus, Office of Admissions for PCOM figures.

Are the graduates of Georgia's medical schools entering needed specialties?

Georgia's medical schools are producing graduates who enter primary care and other needed core
specialties (as shown in the chart below). However, the number of graduates entering these specialties is declining. Factors such as rising medical education debt continue to present a financial burden and may be prompting medical students to select subspecialties with higher incomes rather than a primary care field.

Percentage

Trends in Georgia Medical School Graduates Entering Core Specialties* 1998-2008
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0% 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

*Primary Care was originally defined by the GBPW as Family Medicine, General Internal Medicine, General Pediatrics, and Medicine/Pediatrics. In 2001, the definition used by the GBPW was broadened to include OB/GYN. The term Primary Care was changed in 2006 to Core Specialties and the definition was amended to also include the specialty of General Surgery.

Morehouse

Mercer

Emory

MCG

Do Georgia's medical school graduates stay in state to do their residency (GME) training?

A collective average of 30.7% of graduates from MCG, Emory, Mercer, and Morehouse selected a
Georgia residency training program over the last five years, even though a large portion of the medical students were Georgia residents. Further study is needed to identify why nearly 2/3 of the state's medical school graduates go elsewhere for residency training. One potential reason may be a lack of available residency positions in the graduates' desired specialty.

Are graduates of Georgia's medical schools practicing in Georgia?

The Association of American Medical

Physician Retention by Georgia Medical School

Colleges (AAMC) reported in its November 2007 State Physician Workforce Data Book that the average national retention rate for medical school graduates was 39%.

Medical School

as of June 2008 % of M.D. Graduates
Practicing in GA

% of M.D. Graduates Practicing in the Contiguous* States



Georgia's medical schools have a collective average retention rate of 47.2%. Retention rates by medical school are shown in the table.

Emory MCG Morehouse Mercer

37.6% 52.5% 44.9% 60.1%

24.4% 25.2% 24.5% 18.6%

Source: AMA Directory of Physicians in the United States: 2009 CD-ROM.

*Contiguous states North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida

What impact will medical school expansion have on Georgia's physician workforce and where should the state focus its energy and resources in the future?
Expansion of undergraduate medical education (medical school enrollment) is needed and justified; however,
the collective contributions of all the medical schools to Georgia's physician workforce must be considered in evaluating impact.
It is important for the state to maintain the commitment to undergraduate medical education. Expanding medical school enrollment alone will not meet Georgia's need for physicians. Georgia must also invest in expanding graduate medical education capacity (residency training positions).
Research has shown that residency location may have a greater influence on a physician's choice of practice location (more than where they attended medical school). Source: National Conference of State Legislatures Physician
Workforce Institute for Primary Care and Workforce Analysis. January 2003 report "Practice Location of Physician Graduates".
For more information, please contact the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce at gbpw@dch.ga.gov (404) 206-5420, 1718 Peachtree St, NW, Suite 683, Atlanta, Georgia 30309, or visit www.gbpw.georgia.gov