Industry | Medicine |
---|---|
Founded | 1876 |
Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
Key people |
|
Website | www |
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is a 501(c)(3) 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 [1] and operates the American Medical College Application Service [2] and the Electronic Residency Application Service. [3] Along with the American Medical Association (AMA), the AAMC co-sponsors the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the accrediting body for all U.S. MD-granting medical education programs. [4]
The AAMC was founded in 1876 at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia to establish standards for member medical schools. The first meeting was held on June 2, 1876, and included members from 22 medical colleges. Jefferson Medical College's Dean, John B. Biddle, was the first president of the Association. [5] The first set of standards established in 1876 included “a curriculum of two terms not occurring in the same year.” [6]
By 1905, the Association expanded its standards to require member schools to offer a four-year medical curriculum of no less than 4,000 hours. [6]
In 1942, the AAMC partnered with the American Medical Association's (AMA) Council on Medical Education and Hospitals to form the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The LCME is an accrediting agency for educational programs at medical schools in the United States and Canada. [7]
In 2006, Darrell G. Kirch became president and CEO of AAMC, he served until 2019. On July 15, 2019, David J. Skorton replaced Kirch as president and CEO.
In 2015, the AAMC announced MCAT examinees with documented disabilities would no longer be required to inform schools if they received accommodations during their exam. [8] Prior to this, if someone received accommodations due to a documented disability, an asterisk was affixed to the score report to inform all schools the individual applied to. The schools were not informed of the specific disability or nature of the accommodations.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the AAMC created a database of treatment and management guidance for clinicians. The resources are divided into various topics, including infection control, emergency department, inpatient, ambulatory, serious illness communication, mental health, and special populations. [9] The AAMC also recommended that medical schools temporarily suspend medical students’ direct patient contact due to safety concerns. [10]
Throughout 2020, the AAMC was criticized for continuing to hold the MCAT exam in person during the COVID pandemic. [11] In October 2020, the Association responded to lawmaker's concerns over in-person testing by saying it had resumed only when safety protocols had been developed and implemented. [12]
In 2020, the AAMC removed Abraham Flexner's name from their annual award, claiming his 1910 report contained "racist and sexist" statements. [13] This claim, however, has been challenged. [14]
The Association is a nonprofit organization that represents medical schools, teaching hospitals, and academic and scientific societies. [15] All accredited MD-granting medical schools in the United States and Canada are members of the AAMC. [16] Membership also includes teaching hospitals or health systems, including 51 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers, [17] and academic societies are also members. [16]
The AAMC provides services including data from medical, education, and health studies, as well as consulting. [18] The organization hosts events each year that offer continuing medical education and professional development to the health workforce. [19]
The Association is governed by a 17-member board of directors. [20] Ten of the board members are the chairs of the Association's three member councils: the Council of Deans, the Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems, and the Council of Faculty and Academic Societies. [21] The remaining 7 include a medical student, a resident physician, and a member of the public not affiliated with the AAMC, a medical school, or a teaching hospital. [21]
The Council of Faculty and Academic Societies has 94 member professional organizations. [22] Members consist of faculty from U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals. [23]
The Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems is composed of around 400 teaching hospitals, including Veteran Affairs medical centers. [24] [25]
The Council of Deans is composed of deans from all accredited medical schools in the U.S. and 17 Canadian schools. [26]
In January 2022, the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC) approved a merger agreement. Under the agreement, the AAHC joined the AAMC on April 1, 2022, according to a Jan. 20 joint news release. [27] The AAHC was founded in 1969 and lists over 120 U.S. and international member organizations on its website. The latter are part of the Association of Academic Health Centers International (AAHCI), a subsidiary of the U.S. organization founded in 2008. [28]
The AAMC administers the Medical College Admission Test [1] and operates the American Medical College Application Service [2] and the Electronic Residency Application Service [3] which facilitate students applying to medical schools and residency programs.
The MCAT was formed in 1928 and was known as the “Scholastic Aptitude Test for Medical Students”. [29] In 1948, it was renamed the “Medical College Admission Test”. [29] In 2015, after a review process, a new version of the test was introduced by the AAMC. [30] The new exam added a Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section. [30] [31]
The review for the new exam was led by a 21-member committee composed by the Association and called the MR5 Committee. [32] The MR5 Committee consisted of medical school deans; admissions, educational affairs, student affairs, and diversity officers; basic science and clinical faculty; pre-health advisors and undergraduate faculty; and a medical student and a physician resident. [32] The MR5 Committee also reached out to subcommittees of experts in fields such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology. [32]
The Association maintains a “What’s on the MCAT Exam?” webpage that includes a comprehensive list of all tested topics. [33] They also offer a Fee Assistance Program for test takers who require financial aid in order to take the MCAT. [31]
Led by the AAMC, the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) administers and processes medical school applications. [22] [34] Most U.S. medical schools participate in the AMCAS. [34]
AMCAS was first used by applicants to medical schools in 1969.
The AAMC developed the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) to allow final-year medical school students and graduates to apply electronically for residency positions. [22] [35] The service was established in 1996. [35]
The Association conducts studies, research, and publications on medical education, health care, and biomedical research and provides publications and forums to support medical education and educational health programs. [36] The Association is also responsible for a number of publications, [37] including:
The AAMC published a three-part report on conflicts of interest in research and medical education settings. The final report was titled “In the Interest of Patients: Recommendations for Physician Financial Relationships and Clinical Decision Making,” and was released in 2010. [46]
The AAMC publishes the peer-reviewed journal Academic Medicine . Past papers of the association are held at the National Library of Medicine. [47]
Doctor of Medicine is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. This generally arose because many in 18th-century medical professions trained in Scotland, which used the M.D. degree nomenclature. In England, however, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S.) was used: in the 19th century, it became the standard in Scotland too. Thus, in the United Kingdom, Ireland and other countries, the M.D. is a research doctorate, honorary doctorate or applied clinical degree restricted to those who already hold a professional degree (Bachelor's/Master's/Doctoral) in medicine. In those countries, the equivalent professional degree to the North American, and some others' usage of M.D. is still typically titled Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery.
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, Master of Medicine, Doctor of Medicine (MD), or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO). Many medical schools offer additional degrees, such as a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), master's degree (MSc) or other post-secondary education.
The Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) is a major, multi-campus medical school located throughout the U.S. state of Indiana and is the graduate medical school of Indiana University. There are nine campuses throughout the state; the principal research, educational, and medical center is located on the campus of Indiana University Indianapolis. With 1,461 MD students, 195 PhD students, and 1,442 residents and fellows in the 2023–24 academic year, IUSM is the largest medical school in the United States. The school offers many joint degree programs including an MD/PhD Medical Scientist Training Program. It has partnerships with Purdue University's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, other Indiana University system schools, and various in-state external institutions. It is the medical school with the largest number of graduates licensed in the United States per a 2018 Federation of State Medical Boards survey with 11,828 licensed physicians.
Pre-medical is an educational track that undergraduate students mostly 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 Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is a private medical school, pharmacy school, and graduate school of sciences in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school was established in 1893 and is the largest research center in eastern Wisconsin. It is associated with Froedtert Hospital as well as Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and houses the Center for Infectious Disease Research. There are two additional campuses, one in Green Bay and one in Wausau.
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is a medical school of the University of Pittsburgh, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The School of Medicine, also known as Pitt Med, encompasses both a medical program, offering the doctor of medicine, and graduate programs, offering doctor of philosophy and master's degrees in several areas of biomedical science, clinical research, medical education, and medical informatics.
The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine is the medical school of the University of Oklahoma, located in Oklahoma City. The College of Medicine is part of the university's Health Sciences Center. It is one of only 150 medical schools in the United States that are fully accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and the only one located in the state of Oklahoma.
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.
The State University of New York Upstate Medical University is a public medical school in Syracuse, New York. Founded in 1834, Upstate is the 15th oldest medical school in the United States and is the only medical school in Central New York. The university is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system.
Medical school in the United States is a graduate program with the purpose of educating physicians in the undifferentiated 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. 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.
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 University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, located in Tucson, Arizona, is one of three MD granting medical schools in the state of Arizona, affiliated with the University of Arizona. The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix was initially established as a branch campus in 2007, but became an independent medical school in 2012. The College of Medicine – Tucson campus is located at the University of Arizona Health Sciences (UAHS) center on the campus of the University of Arizona and is governed by the Arizona Board of Regents. Traditionally, the college accepted Arizona residents exclusively. However, beginning the 2009–2010 incoming class, the school changed its policy to allow for admission of "highly-qualified," non-residents.
John Allen Dicks Cooper was an American physician and educator.
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become licensed as a physician or surgeon and thus have full medical and surgical practicing rights in all 50 US states. As of 2023, there were 186,871 osteopathic physicians and medical students in DO programs across the United States. Osteopathic medicine emerged historically from the quasi-medical practice of osteopathy, but has become a distinct and proper medical profession.
The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences is the professional medical school of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. SMHS is one of the most selective medical schools in the United States based on the number of applicants.
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 Medical College Admission Test is a computer-based standardized examination for prospective medical students in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the 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.
The Frank H. Netter M.D. School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, also known colloquially as Quinnipiac Medical School, or simply "Netter," is a medical school located in North Haven, Connecticut. The medical school was established in 2010 with its first class starting in 2013.
University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, also known as Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, is a public medical school in the city of Buffalo, New York, at the University at Buffalo. Founded in 1846, it is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is the only medical school in Buffalo. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system.
California Northstate University College of Medicine is a private medical school located in Elk Grove, California, granting the degree of Doctor of Medicine (MD). It is one of the seven colleges of California Northstate University. The other colleges are College of Pharmacy, College of Dental Medicine (DMD), College of Health Sciences, College of Psychology, College of Graduate Studies, and College of Nursing.