An overview of the world's medical schools

Abstract

Background: In the past several years, there has been a rapid expansion in the number of medical schools. Presently, there are over 1,900 operating medical schools in the world, located on six of the seven continents. Regrettably, other than for select countries and regions, relatively little is known about the characteristics or the quality of these institutions.

Description: The International Medical Education Directory (IMED) provides an accurate and up-to-date resource of information about medical schools. Based on current listings in IMED, the geographical distribution of medical schools does not mirror the regional population. The Caribbean, with a total population of less than 40 million, has 54 operating medical schools. In contrast, of the 57 African nations, 16 did not have a single medical school.

Conclusions: Given the physician's role in the healthcare team, the challenges presented by migration of healthcare workers, and questions concerning the adequacy of existing institutions to meet healthcare needs, developing and maintaining accurate and detailed information on the world's medical schools and their graduates is paramount.

Notes

Notes

1.  In most countries, the agency responsible for this recognition is the Ministry of Health.

2.  WHO limits itself to publishing information on medical schools that has been provided or confirmed by the governments of its Member States. If a State is not recognized by WHO (e.g. Palestine, Taiwan), any medical school located there will not be listed in the Directory of Medical Schools.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

John Boulet

JOHN R. BOULET, Ph.D. is Director of Research and Data Resources for the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER®). Dr. Boulet implements the Foundation's research agenda and guides its efforts to develop meaningful resources on medical education worldwide.

Carole Bede

CAROLE BEDE is the Senior Research Analyst for the International Medical Education Directory (IMED), Ms. Bede coordinates all updates to IMED for existing schools, and conducts the necessary research and correspondence to add new medical schools to the Directory. She also participates in research projects for FAIMER.

Danette Mckinley

DANETTE MCKINLEY is Research Scientist for FAIMER and is responsible for ensuring the accurate and timely completion of research activities as well as the design, implementation, analysis, and publication of ongoing research studies. She also supports research activities related to the certification of graduates of international medical programs.

John Norcini

JOHN NORCINI became FAIMER's first President and Chief Executive Officer in May 2002. Dr. Norcini's principal academic interest is in the area of the assessment of physician performance. Current major research interests include methods for setting standards, assessing practice performance, and testing professional competence.