Entry of US medical school graduates into family practice residencies: 1997-1998 and 3-year summary

This is the 17th report prepared by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) on the percentage of each US medical school's graduates entering family practice residency programs. Approximately 16.6% of the 15,894 graduates of US medical schools between July 1996 and June 1997 were first-year family practice residents in October 1997, compared with 15.9% in 1996 and 14.6% in 1995. This is the highest percentage since this series of studies began in 1980-1981 (12.8%). Medical school graduates from publicly funded medical schools were almost twice as likely to be first-year family practice residents in October 1997 than were residents from privately funded schools, 19.8% compared with 11.8%. The Mountain region reported the highest percentage of medical school graduates who were first-year residents in family practice programs in October 1997 at 25.8%; the Middle Atlantic and New England regions reported the lowest percentages at 11.7% and 10.7%, respectively. Nearly half of the medical school graduates (48.1%) entering a family practice residency program as first-year residents in October 1997 entered a program in the same state where they graduated from medical school. The percentages for each medical school have varied substantially from year to year since the AAFP began reporting this information. This article reports the average percentage for each medical school for the last 3 years. Also reported are the number and percentage of graduates of colleges of osteopathic medicine who entered Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited family practice residency programs, based on estimates provided by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.