Innovative education:
Primary care and research capabilities are just some of the factors that go into determining what are the best medical schools in the country.
It is a yearly event that any prospective medical student is aware of: the publishing of the U.S. News and World Report list of the best medical schools in the country. Not to mention the ARWU’s list of the world’s best medical schools.
While many factors go into the determination of who gets what medical school ranking, an important emphasis is placed on the school’s focus on primary care education and also their research capabilities, hospital affiliations and post-graduate residencies that are offered. If you are a prospective student mulling over these lists, looking into the details behind these lists is important when considering which schools to apply to.
Heavy emphasis on primary care
The need for primary care physicians is great in our country, and the best medical schools are placing an emphasis on primary care in their curriculum and training of physicians today. Even if you plan to specialize, having a solid education in primary care is vital in today’s health care environment. Primary care physicians are the front line in patient care and the demand is great for primary care physicians who provide primary care and also coordinate the patient’s treatment with specialists. If you are planning on becoming a primary care physician, take a look at those lists of best medical schools and see how they rank in terms of primary care education.
Excellent research and hospital affiliations
Having access to the best research facilities and a good hospital affiliation is key to your medical training. The best medical schools will have an excellent reputation for cutting edge research in developing new treatment regimens and surgical procedures and students like yourself will benefit from them while you are still in training so you can put them to use when you graduate and are pursuing your medical career. Hospital affiliations are also important as they are the training ground for physicians and facilities which offer the most cutting edge treatments and have a firm foundation in patient care are ones you want to consider when you are thinking about which of the best medical schools to apply to.
Other resources
New medical schools combat looming physician shortage
Medical School Rankings from StudentDoc.com