While all medical schools share the goal of producing well-rounded doctors, each program offers distinct opportunities and resources.
The medical school experience is shaped by that institution’s mission. Some prioritize research, others prioritize primary care and some balance both. As a result, community service, research experience and coursework expectations vary.
However, this distinction — and its impact on students’ career trajectories — isn’t so cut and dried, experts say. While premeds should consider career goals when identifying best-fit programs, most schools produce doctors capable of succeeding in a variety of disciplines.
Primary Care-Based Programs
“Schools that tend to produce a lot of students who go into primary care have given their students a robust experience in clinical medicine, particularly outpatient medicine,” says Dr. Christine Jacobs, vice president for medical affairs and dean at Saint Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri. These schools value training graduates to work directly with patients.
Primary care, which includes specialties like internal medicine, family medicine and pediatrics, emphasizes continuity and patient-centered care. This tends to be a good fit for aspiring primary care physicians who are interested in forming long-term relationships with patients.
Attending a school ranked high for clinical care will not prevent you from pursuing research opportunities, experts say. Schools recognize that research experience is one way students can distinguish themselves for residency applications, along with clinical experience and community service.
“Going to a school that’s very strong in primary care allows you to see the full breadth of medicine,” Jacobs says.
Research-Based Programs
Medical schools with high research activity tend to have significant federal funding from agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These research-intensive schools have infrastructure for research, innovation and discovery, experts say.
“Their institutions are focused on advancing medical science, advancing biological sciences, and they’re looking for students who might be able to contribute to that,” says Dr. Sahil Mehta, an interventional radiologist and founder of MedSchoolCoach. These schools tend to look for students with a strong academic performance and research potential.
Schools that prioritize research prepare students well for future careers as physician scientists and educators. Research-focused schools can also give students a leg up for competitive specialties, like dermatology and plastic surgery, experts say.
“Different programs will have more or fewer requirements around research, but a research-intensive medical school will always have a deep bench in terms of opportunities to participate,” says Dr. Lia Logio, vice dean for medical education at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Ohio.
How to Assess Career Opportunities
For many doctors, medical school is a stepping stone to residency programs.
Residency match rates are a useful metric for premeds deciding on a medical school, experts say. Some schools might produce more doctors in primary care, procedural specialties or diagnostic specialties. This tends to be a good indication of the general trends for schools, experts note.
[Read: Is Medical School Right for You?]
For example, an applicant interested in primary care might consider the percentage of a medical school’s graduating class that entered primary care residencies. Someone interested in a competitive specialty, like orthopedic surgery, might consider the number of students who successfully matched into those programs.
Attending a medical school that prioritizes research or primary care can better position you for a career in that respective field. However, medical school is only the beginning of your medical career, experts say. Your journey continues through residency, fellowship and beyond.
“There are plenty of opportunities and off-ramps and on-ramps into various roles within medicine,” Mehta says.
Most medical schools can equip syudents for a diverse range of clinical and nonclinical careers. Research schools can produce strong primary care doctors, and primary care schools can produce strong physician scientists.
Career goals can change over time, experts say. While premeds may have an idea of what they want to do, most haven’t been exposed to the wide variety of specialties and ways specialties can be practiced. Mehta advises against eliminating school options prematurely and encourages premeds to keep an open mind.
How to Find The Ideal Med School
Experts encourage premeds to reflect on what kind of doctor they want to become and where they want to be.
Before choosing where to apply — or where to commit — premeds should research schools’ missions and values. Then they can better assess whether a school aligns with their interests and goals.
[Related:How Medical Schools Are Improving Access for Underrepresented Minorities]
“Some mission statements are about taking care of patients in the community,” Logio says. “And some mission statements are about changing the landscape of health care in general, from biomedical sciences to delivery of care.”
A school’s curriculum and graduation requirements can give premeds an idea of the research, volunteer and coursework expectations. Some programs have research components built into the curriculum; other programs might have community service requirements.
To get a better sense of a school’s culture and learning environment, experts suggest speaking with students and faculty.
“How much time is in class?” Logio says. “How much time is in labs? How much time is in simulation? How much time is actually with patients?” The answers might sway a premed’s decision to choose one school over another.
Regional preference is another factor to consider.
“There are certain schools that are very strong within a certain region but don’t have the same national reach,” Mehta says. Some schools produce graduates who tend to stay in the area. Other schools may offer more options to match at different locations and regions.
Unless your goals are extremely clear, experts say, most premeds should consider a mix of research-focused and primary care-oriented schools.
Ultimately, experts say, acceptance to any U.S. medical school is an accomplishment and opens a range of opportunities.
“No medical school in the United States closes the door completely on any career in medicine,” Mehta says.
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Primary Care vs. Research: Which Med School Is Right for You? originally appeared on usnews.com
