The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) is a service run by the Association of American Medical Colleges through which prospective medical students can apply to various medical schools in the United States. It thus acts as something of a Common Application among the schools.
Most US medical schools granting Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degrees require that students apply through AMCAS. However, there are seven M.D. schools that do not participate in AMCAS. [1] These schools use the Texas Medical & Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS). There are a total of 141 M.D. granting medical schools in the U.S. that use AMCAS, which includes 4 Puerto Rico schools. [2]
Osteopathic medical schools (granting Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, or D.O., degrees) have a similar system called the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS). [3]
In 2020, The Association of American Medical Colleges shortens the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) to rule out experimental issues. [4]
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians and surgeons. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, Master of Medicine, Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.). Many medical schools offer additional degrees, such as a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), master's degree (M.Sc.) or other post-secondary education.
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that was established in 1876. It represents medical schools, teaching hospitals, and academic and scientific societies, while providing services to its member institutions that include data from medical, education, and health studies, as well as consulting. The AAMC administers the Medical College Admission Test and operates the American Medical College Application Service and the Electronic Residency Application Service. Along with the American Medical Association, the AAMC co-sponsors the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the accrediting body for all U.S. MD-granting medical education programs.
There are a number of professional degrees in dentistry offered by dental schools in various countries around the world.
The University of North Texas Health Science Center is a public academic health science center in Fort Worth, Texas. It is part of the University of North Texas System and was founded in 1970 as the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. UNT Health Science Center now consists of five graduate schools with a total enrollment of 2,329 students (2020–21).
Pre-medical is an educational track that undergraduate students in the United States pursue prior to becoming medical students. It involves activities that prepare a student for medical school, such as pre-med coursework, volunteer activities, clinical experience, research, and the application process. Some pre-med programs providing broad preparation are referred to as “pre-professional” and may simultaneously prepare students for entry into a variety of first professional degree or graduate school programs that require similar prerequisites.
The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry is the combined medical school and dental school of the University of Western Ontario, one of 17 medical schools in Canada and one of six in Ontario.
The Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) is a centralized application service for students applying to veterinary school. Created by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) in 1995, VMCAS handles applications for most of the veterinary schools in the United States, as well as several in Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia.
Kansas City University (KCU) is a private medical school with its main campus in Kansas City, Missouri and an additional campus in Joplin, Missouri. Founded in 1916, KCU is one of the original osteopathic medical schools in the United States. It consists of both a College of Osteopathic Medicine and a College of Biosciences. KCU is one of the largest medical schools in the nation by enrollment.
Medical school in the United States is a graduate program with the purpose of educating physicians in the field of medicine. Such schools provide a major part of the medical education in the United States. Most medical schools in the US confer upon graduates a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree, while some confer a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. Some, unique to the United States, confer a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) degree. Most schools follow a similar pattern of education, with two years of classroom and laboratory based education, followed by two years of clinical rotations in a teaching hospital where students see patients in a variety of specialties. After completion, graduates must complete a residency before becoming licensed to practice medicine.
In Canada, a medical school is a faculty or school of a university that trains future medical doctors and usually offers a three- to five-year Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degree. There are currently 17 medical schools in Canada with an annual admission success rate normally below 7.5%. As of 2021, approximately 11,500 students were enrolled in Canadian medical schools graduating 2,900 students per year.
Most physicians in the United States hold either the Doctor of Medicine degree (MD) or the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree (DO). Institutions awarding the MD are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). Institutions awarding the DO are accredited by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). The World Directory of Medical Schools lists both LCME accredited MD programs and COCA accredited DO programs as US medical schools. Foreign-trained osteopaths do not hold DO degrees and are not recognized as physicians in the United States or in other jurisdictions.
The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS) is a service run by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine through which prospective osteopathic medical students can apply to osteopathic medical schools in the United States that grant the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree.
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine is a medical degree conferred by the 37 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and MD degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become licensed as a physician and thus have full medical and surgical practicing rights in all 50 US states. As of 2021, there were more than 168,000 osteopathic physicians and medical students in DO programs across the United States. Osteopathic medicine emerged historically from osteopathy, but has become a distinct profession.
The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine is the medical school of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC). TTUHSC SOM was originally chartered in 1969 to train more physicians for the underserved populations of the West Texas region. As of 2011, the School of Medicine has awarded over 4,000 Doctor of Medicine degrees. The school offers the traditional four-year curriculum, as well as an accelerated three-year track, and joint degree programs with Texas Tech University.
The Medical School Admission Requirements Guide (MSAR) is a suite of guides produced by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), which helps inform prospective medical students about medical school, the application process, and the undergraduate preparation. The MSAR staff works in collaboration with the admissions offices at each medical school and combined B.S./M.D. program to compile information about each school and program. This data originates from a number of sources including the:
The Texas Medical & Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) is a service run by the University of Texas System through which prospective professional students can use a common application to apply to all public medical, dental and veterinary schools in the state of Texas.
The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a computer-based standardized examination for prospective medical students in the United States, Australia, Canada, and Caribbean Islands. It is designed to assess problem solving, critical thinking, written analysis and knowledge of scientific concepts and principles. Before 2007, the exam was a paper-and-pencil test; since 2007, all administrations of the exam have been computer-based.
Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O. is an American physician, academic, and the first African-American woman to serve as dean of a U.S. medical school; she is also known as the sister of global music sensation Diana Ross along with being the aunt of actress Tracee Ellis Ross, and singer-songwriters Rhonda Ross Kendrick and Evan Ross. She majored in biology and chemistry at Wayne State University, graduating in 1965. Then, in 1969, she entered Michigan State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine. Ross-Lee then went on to open her own private family practice, teach as a professor, and hold other positions within the medical community. In 1993, she was elected as the first woman dean of a medical school, at Ohio University's Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. She has earned several awards and honors for her work and accomplishments.
Physicians and surgeons play an important role in the provision of health care in Canada. They are responsible for the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of disease, injury, and other physical and mental impairments. As Canadian medical schools solely offer the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degrees, these represent the degrees held by the vast majority of physicians and surgeons in Canada, though some have a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) from the United States or Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from Europe.
Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (SHSU-COM) is the medical school of Sam Houston State University in Conroe, Texas. Founded in 2019, the college confers the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree. The campus consists of a five-story, 107,000 square-foot building on 7.3 acres. SHSU-COM has received pre-accreditation from the American Osteopathic Association's (AOA) Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). The college employs 20 full-time clinical faculty, 17 full-time biomedical science faculty and 37 staff members.