The Association of American Medical Colleges said today that the nation faces a shortage of physicians and that the only solution is a 30-percent increase in the enrollments at medical schools. According to a statement approved last week by the association’s Executive Council and released today, such an increase would result in 5,000 more medical doctors per year, and should be accomplished through the opening of new medical schools as well as the expansion of existing ones.

The proposals closely follow the views of the association’s president, Jordan J. Cohen, who is stepping down this month. In a speech last November at the association’s annual meeting, Dr. Cohen said too many American students had to go abroad to gain admission to a medical school, and the nation’s growing reliance on foreign-trained doctors was robbing those countries of the expertise they need (The Chronicle, November 7, 2005). The association represents all 125 accredited medical schools in the United States, as well as 17 accredited schools in Canada and nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems.