USD Sanford School of Medicine Recognized for Family Medicine Contributions
The information comes from an American Academy of Family Physicians analysis that examines the number of medical school graduates placed into residencies during three years ending in 2015. This is the most recent period of review.
Residencies differ from medical school by providing greater in-depth training within a specific branch of medicine. Entering a family medicine residency is a reliable marker that an MD grad will become a family medicine physician.
Slightly more than 15 percent of USD’s medical school graduates entered Family Medicine residencies during the researched timeframe. This compares to a national average of 8.7 percent. As the U.S. struggles with a shortage of primary care physicians –it is expected we will face a shortage of 33,000 primary care physicians by 2035- this significant contribution by USD Sanford School of Medicine is critical to the health of all Americans. Family medicine physicians are an important part of the country’s primary care physician workforce.
The USD Sanford School of Medicine prepares its medical students to practice in all fields of medicine, and is particularly recognized for its reputation in family medicine and rural medicine. The school of medicine’s mission statement includes an emphasis on family medicine. The analysis prepared by the Family Physicians’ academy reveals that South Dakota’s only medical school is accomplishing that objective.
