School of Medicine Ranked Nationally for Family Medicine

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 29, 2015

CONTACT:     Suzanna Cisneros, suzanna.cisneros@ttuhsc.edu

(806) 743-7605

School of Medicine Ranked Nationally for Family Medicine

 

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) ranked the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine 14^th nationally for students going into family medicine programs.

In an effort to address the national primary care physician shortage, the TTUHSC School of Medicine established a three-year medical degree in 2010. The Family Medicine Accelerated Track (FMAT) program allows primary care students at the TTUHSC School of Medicine to complete their degree in three years at about half of the cost of the standard four-year program. The program was the first-of-its-kind three-year program in the country.

Steven Berk, M.D., TTUHSC executive vice president, provost and School of Medicine dean, said the School of Medicine is committed to changing how medical schools attract and educate future family medicine doctors.

“The family physician is the one most likely to meet the health care needs of rural Texas communities, but there will also be a shortage of primary care physicians throughout the State of Texas,” Berk said. “Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine takes pride in being among the top 20 medical schools in its percentage of students choosing a career in family medicine.”

A rank order list of U.S. medical schools was created based on the last three years’ average percentage of graduates who became family medicine residents, using the 2014 and prior AAFP census data. According to the report, “Entry of U.S. Medical School Graduates Into Family Medicine Residencies: 2014-2015,” U.S. medical schools continue to fail to produce a primary care workforce.

The study estimated there will need to be an additional 973 family medicine and 727 non-family physician primary care graduates per year until 2035 in order to eliminate projected shortages.

The study also stated that primary care has been demonstrated to improve health care outcomes and reduce health disparities while reducing per capita costs. Despite the need to produce more primary care physicians in this country, there has been a notable decline that limits the potential to deliver the promise of primary care.