Nearly four times as many graduates of West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) practice in rural locations than the national average, making the Lewisburg School the number one institution in the country for producing rural physicians, according to a study published in Academic Medicine.

Academic Medicine: WVSOM Top Rural Physician Medical School in America

Nearly four times as many graduates of West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) practice in rural locations than the national average, making the Lewisburg School the number one institution in the country for producing rural physicians, according to a study published in Academic Medicine.

The study, entitled "Which Medical Schools Produce Rural Physicians? A 15-Year Update," appeared in the journal's April 2010 edition. WVSOM is the highest ranking school in the United States, with 41 percent of its graduates practicing medicine in rural areas during the period studied.

The study examined 2005 data that had been gathered about physicians who graduated between 1988 and 1997 to determine which D.O.-granting (osteopathic) and M.D.-granting (allopathic) medical schools had the highest percentage of graduates practicing in rural areas. The study's title refers to a similar analysis done more than 15 years earlier by another group of researchers.

Overall, only 11 percent of American physicians were practicing in rural locations at the time the study was conducted. Only 10 medical schools in the country had more than 25 percent of their graduates in rural practice, the study found.

Nationwide, osteopathic medical school graduates chose rural practice at a higher rate (an average of 18 percent) than allopathic school graduates, who averaged 11 percent. Of the 16 schools that ranked the highest in producing graduates who serve in rural areas, six are osteopathic schools.

The study also found that women continue to be less likely than men to practice in rural areas. Residents who train in rural areas are three times more likely to practice in rural areas than those who train in urban areas.

The Academic Medicine study findings compliment WVSOM's 12th consecutive inclusion in U.S. News & World Report's "Best Graduate Schools" rankings. WVSOM was tied for 10th in rural medicine and tied for 11th in family medicine in the most recent rankings of all U.S. medical schools, both D.O. and M.D.