Just one pandemic and suddenly everyone wants to be a doctor.
Medical schools across the country are reporting record application numbers, with applications up 18% this year, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Eleven thousand would-be doctors applied for only 90 openings at Stanford University’s medical school — that’s a 50% jump from last year. Boston University saw a 27% increase, with more than 12,000 students competing for 110 seats at its medical school.
It’s a new chapter in an old story. After Pearl Harbor and 9/11, our young men and women rushed to become soldiers and sailors in record numbers. Today, says Geoffrey Young at the AAMC, the coronavirus is becoming the medical analogy of 9/11.
It doesn’t hurt that Anthony Fauci, the chief infectious disease official in the federal government, has become a hero to many (and even a sex symbol to some).
But Fauci isn’t the only person in the spotlight. Nurses and doctors grace the covers of magazines and appear in TV interviews almost daily. Their hard work is being celebrated, and young people want to follow their lead.
More quotidian changes explain the rush, too. For starters, many schools have dropped the Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT, exam requirement and pushed application deadlines due to the pandemic. Other programs are waiving prerequisites, such as internships or research projects, making it easier for on-the-fence applicants to try their luck.
The pay is pretty appealing, too. Many college graduates are having a hard time finding jobs, and the idea of an almost-guaranteed, high-salary job offer upon graduation is too good to pass up. This is why the medical school applicant pool grew after the 2008 recession, too. Economic insecurity tends to push young adults toward secure careers.
This boost in interest could not come at a better time for the medical community. Experts have been warning that the United States is approaching a looming physician shortage as much of the current workforce nears retirement. By 2032, the AAMC estimates, the U.S. could be short of 122,000 doctors.
The coronavirus pandemic could help the U.S. medical community close this gap.
