PNWU was recently ranked a top-ten medical school in the United States in three major mission-related categories. U.S. News and World Report’s Best Grad Schools release lists the non-profit health sciences university fifth for graduates practicing in medically underserved areas, sixth for graduates practicing in primary care specialties, and tenth for graduates practicing in rural areas.
“These national rankings are fulfillment of PNWU’s mission to serve rural and medically underserved communities,” explained Dr. Michael Lawler, president of PNWU. “This is made possible by a mission-driven team of students, alumni, faculty, staff, trustees, partners, and community members.”
- Fifth in the nation for most graduates practicing in a medically underserved area (65%)
- Sixth in the nation for most graduates practicing in Primary Care (44%)
- Tenth in the nation for most graduates practicing in rural areas (15%)
65% of PNWU graduates reported practice in medically underserved areas, 44% were practicing in a primary care specialty, and 15% reported practice in a rural area.
“This second consecutive high national rankings demonstrate PNWU’s sustained commitment to educating and training physicians who will practice medicine in the communities having the greatest need,” added Thomas Scandalis, DO, dean of PNWU’s nationally ranked College of Osteopathic Medicine.
U.S. News, working with the Robert Graham Center, a division of the American Academy of Family Physicians as the data provider, ranked medical schools by the percentage of each school’s 2013-2015 medical and osteopathic graduates practicing direct patient care in (1.) medically underserved areas, also known as Health Professional Shortage Areas; (2.) rural areas of the U.S. These areas are defined using the USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Classification; and (3.) primary care fields. Primary care specialties included are family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, geriatrics, and internal medicine-pediatrics.