Entry of US medical school graduates into family practice residencies: 2002-2003 and 3-year summary.

This is the 22nd report prepared by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) on the percentage of each US medical school's graduates entering family practice residency programs. Approximately 10.3% of the 15,810 graduates of US medical schools between July 2001 and June 2002 were first-year family practice residents in 2002, compared with 10.9% in 2001 and 12.8% in 2000. Medical school graduates from publicly funded medical schools were more likely to be first-year family practice residents in October 2002 than were residents from privately funded schools, 12.3% compared with 7.3%. The Mountain and the West North Central regions reported the highest percentage of medical school graduates who were first-year residents in family practice programs in October 2002 at 16.3% and 15.9%, respectively; the Middle Atlantic and New England regions reported the lowest percentages at 6.1% and 5.6%, respectively. Nearly half of the medical school graduates (48.6%) entering a family practice residency program as first-year residents in October 2002 entered a program in the same state where they graduated from medical school. The percentages for each medical school have varied substantially from year to year since the AAFP began reporting this information. This article reports the average percentage for each medical school for the last 3 years. Also reported are the number and percentage of graduates from colleges of osteopathic medicine who entered Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited family practice residency programs, based on estimates provided by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.