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Three years ago, a study by Robert Bowman, M.D., recognized the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine as the top medical school in the world in regards to rural physician distribution.
Dr. Bowman has recently updated his study, and WVSOM now has additional number one rankings.
In Bowman’s previous study, WVSOM ranked first with 42% of its graduates practicing medicine in rural areas in the United States. "WVSOM continues to distribute the highest percentages of physicians to rural underserved locations. The distribution was high enough to propel the school to the top level for all underserved locations both rural and urban," Bowman reveals.
Bowman says that while some ranking systems involve surveys of medical school leaders, his study involves zip code analysis of actual physician practice locations.
"Studies of physician distribution have now progressed beyond geographic terms," he explains "New coding methods allow for the examination of the practice location that most physicians avoid. The coding includes zip codes with high levels of poverty or federal designations."
Bowman visited the WVSOM campus and presented his findings to faculty, staff, and students in February. "With very little fanfare and with more than a few challenges, WVSOM has managed to produce some extraordinary results," he notes. "WVSOM physicians practice in areas that suffer the worse shortages of health care."
According to Bowman, WVSOM can trace its success to admissions. "Many schools waste tremendous resources by not picking the right students during the Admissions process," he stresses. "But WVSOM admits students who want to practice rural primary care after they finish medical school. It integrates mission, admission, and training. This consistency reflects solid leadership."
The studies from the new coding methods were first revealed at the Primary Care Research and Statistics Conference in San Antonio in December 2007.
Dr. Bowman is a nationally recognized researcher in physician distribution patterns. He recently began working as a professor and admissions expert for the A.T. Still University branch medical school in Mesa, Arizona.
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