Medical School Rankings: What Are They Worth?
Last week, US News and
World Report released their list of the 2014
Best Medical Schools (designed for applicants to the Class of 2014). Their rankings
are not at all surprising – in primary care, nine of the top 10 are still
holding strong, with only the University of Alabama Birmingham rising from last
year’s #12 rank (replacing UCLA); the top 12 programs for research stayed the
same, with a bit of shuffling in the ranks.
Not that these lists of so-called “best” medical schools are
ever surprising. Based on such factors as admission statistics, research
dollars, and students entering primary care fields (see their full
ranking methodology), the rankings are to a large extent self-perpetuating.
Highly ranked schools attract more applications, therefore boosting their
selectivity by decreasing the ratio of “accepted” applicants while raising MCAT
and GPA scores. Likewise, established research programs are more likely to
receive continued funding, which feeds into higher research rankings.
Further, the data is highly suspect, as medical
deans have pointed out. For instance, one of USNWR’s measures is based on residency program directors’
impressions of each medical school, but historically residency programs have
declined to report; last year only 17% participated in the USNWR survey. In fact, the AAMC still refers applicants to a
2001 critique of the USNWR rankings, which concludes that they “have no
practical value and fail to meet standards of journalistic ethics.”
So what, if anything, do these rankings mean to the medical
school hopeful? Besides the bragging rights a medical school gets for a top
slot, is the medical education they offer any better? And is a med student’s
shot at a top residency significantly improved by attending a “top 10” school?
In business and law schools, career success – and
commensurate salaries – is determined in large part by school rankings. A
Harvard MBA opens doors to Fortune 100 companies that are closed to graduates
of lesser known programs. Medical education does not work like this, no matter
how hard U.S. News and World Report tries
to shove it into the same mold. The future of a medical student’s career
depends on the choice of specialty and residency. An orthopedic surgeon with a
degree from Podunk School of Medicine will probably make significantly more
than a GP from Harvard.
Can a top medical school open the door to a top residency
program? Opinions vary – and naturally, it’s the top programs who claim it
does, while lower-tier programs claim it makes no difference. Fortunately we
have hard data to settle this dispute. Each year, the NRMP publishes the NRMP Program
Director Survey Results and asks what factors influence the decision to
interview a particular candidate. The reputation of the medical school always
ranks around 50%; in the latest report, it was the 23rd most
important consideration, far below the top three factors: the Step 1 score,
letters of recommendation from within the specialty, and the applicant’s
personal statement.
So in the end, does a top ranking or a program’s reputation never matter? Of course not. Residency
selection is subjective and program directors often trust their alma maters or
networks to supply candidates. But the question is whether rankings like this
one from USNWR are something you need
to worry about as you apply to medical school. The “best” medical schools, in
my opinion, are those that are accredited, that offer the clinical and research
opportunities their students want, and that produce competitive residents who
match. No matter what USNWR says, if
you can win a seat at one of the many outstanding allopathic or osteopathic
programs in the U.S., your future in medicine is bright.
Originally posted at Accepted.com.