Georgia Board for Physician Workforce Fact Sheet on Georgia's Medical Schools February 2010 This fact sheet highlights key elements related to Georgia's medical schools and provides answers to the following questions: What are Georgia's medical schools doing to help meet the need for more physicians? How does the number of medical students being trained in Georgia compare to the southeast and national averages? How many more students would Georgia have to add to meet these targets? How much does it cost to attend medical school in Georgia today compared to five years ago? What proportion of medical students are Georgia residents? Are the graduates of Georgia's medical schools entering needed specialties? Do Georgia's medical school graduates stay in state to do their residency (GME) training? Are graduates of Georgia's medical schools practicing in Georgia? 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? 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 graduated its first class in May 2009. Existing expansion plans by the private medical schools, as well as the partnership between MCG and UGA to establish a medical school campus in Athens, will significantly improve Georgia's undergraduate medical education training capacity. Medical School Georgia's Medical Schools Past, Current, & Projected Enrollment 2000-2020 Past Past Enrollment: Enrollment: 2000/2001 2006/2007 Current Enrollment: 2009/2010 Projected Enrollment: 2020 Emory 439 455 517 528 MCG (and new partnership campus at UGA) 711 734 762 1200 Mercer 212 246 311 366 Morehouse 153 210 213 300 Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Georgia Campus (PCOM) TOTAL ENROLLMENT(1) Percentage Growth/Increase in Enrollment over the Previous Period (1) Enrollment figures provided by the medical schools. 0 1515 168 1813 20% 341 2144 18% 360 2754 28.5% How does the number of medical students being trained in Georgia compare to the southeast and national averages? How many more students would Georgia have to add to meet these targets? Tennessee is the only surrounding state that has a medical student to population ratio higher than Georgia's. To reach the southeast average of 22.8 medical students per 100,000 population, Georgia would have to add approximately 45 medical students. Nationally, Georgia ranks 30th among the 50 states in medical students per 100,000 population. Georgia's rate of 22.3 medical students per 100,000 population is below the national average of 30.1 medical students per 100,000. To meet the national average of 30.1 medical students per 100,000 population, Georgia would still have to increase total medical school enrollment by 750 students. Even with MCG's planned expansion and expansion efforts already underway at Georgia's private medical schools, the state will remain below the national average. If all plans are fully implemented, Georgia's ratio should improve to an estimated 25 medical students per 100,000 population. Comparison of Georgia's UME Capacity Students Enrolled in LCME or AOA Accredited Medical Schools per 100,000 Population Rate per Rank 100,000 U.S. 30.1 Southeast TN GA SC AL NC FL 22.8 33.8 17th 22.3 30th 21.9 31st 21.8 34th 21.7 35th 20.5 36th Source: AAMC Center for Workforce Studies; 2009 State Physician Workforce Data Book; November 2009. How much does it cost to attend medical school in Georgia today compared to five years ago? What proportion of medical students are Georgia residents? The cost to obtain a medical education continues to rise. Medical School Tuition Only For Incoming Freshman Academic Year 2004-2005 Tuition Only For Incoming Freshmen Academic Year 2009-2010 % of Current Students who are GA Residents Emory Univ. School of Medicine $34,205 $42,000 (22.8% increase) 31.7% Medical College of Georgia (MCG) $10,772 $21,408 (98.7% increase) 98.8% Mercer Univ. School of Medicine $27,876 $38,885 (39.5% increase) 100.0% Morehouse School of Medicine $22,500 $29,484 (31.0% increase) 60.6% Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Not Applicable $38,100 48.4% Medicine (GA Campus) Sources: Total enrollment and number of Georgia residents provided by the medical schools. Tuition for Georgia residents obtained from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Tuition and Student Fees Reports 2009-2010 and 2004-2005; fees are not included in the tuition totals. PCOM tuition figures were provided by the school. 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 such as Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and General Surgery. However, the number of graduates entering these specialties is declining both in Georgia and nationally. 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. The state has partnered with Mercer University School of Medicine and Morehouse School of Medicine as a cost effective way to train primary care physicians. Do Georgia's medical school graduates stay in state to do their residency (GME) training? A collective average of 29.5% 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. Medical School Graduates Remaining in Georgia for Residency (GME) Training by Medical School Mercer has the highest rate of graduates Fiscal Years 2005-2009 remaining in Georgia for residency training at 34.2% followed by Emory (32.3%), MCG (27.0%), and Morehouse (26.4%). Medical School % of Graduates Selecting a GA Residency Training Site Emory 32.3% Further study is needed to identify why MCG nearly 2/3 of the state's medical school Mercer graduates go elsewhere for residency Morehouse 27.0% 34.2% 26.4% training. Reasons may include a lack of available residency positions in the graduates' desired specialty. Source: As reported by the medical schools; reflects selection for 1st year of residency training for those graduates entering GME. Are graduates of Georgia's medical schools practicing in Georgia? The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) reported in its November 2009 State Physician Workforce Data Book that the average national retention rate for medical school graduates was 39%. Georgia's medical schools have a collective average retention rate of 49.0%. Retention rates by medical school are shown in the table. Mercer has the highest retention rate of graduates practicing in Georgia at 59.8% followed by MCG (52.0%), Morehouse (46.8%), and Emory (37.3%). Physician Retention by Georgia Medical School as of July 2009 Medical School % of M.D. % of M.D. Graduates Graduates Practicing in Practicing in the GA Contiguous* States Emory 37.3% 24.5% MCG 52.0% 25.6% Mercer 59.8% 24.1% Morehouse 46.8% 18.1% Source: AMA Directory of Physicians in the United States: 2009 CD-ROM. Contiguous states North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, & 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. The expansion efforts already underway at existing, established medical schools are of significant importance. Should these efforts be discontinued, there would be a serious long-term negative effect on the state's medical education infrastructure and Georgia's physician workforce. 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". Georgia Board for Physician Workforce 1718 Peachtree St., N.W., Suite 683, Atlanta, Georgia 30309, (404) 206-5420 www.gbpw.georgia.gov Cherri Tucker, Executive Director. Colette Caldwell, Carla Graves, Kelly McNamara, and G.E. Alan Dever, M.D., Ph.D., contributors.