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The American Medical Association (AMA) today adopted new policy to help address
the increasing medical student debt burden at its Annual Meeting. Over the last
15 years, the cost of a public school medical education has doubled and private
school tuition has increased by 133 percent. Upon graduation, the average medical
student has a debt of $155,000.
“The overwhelming cost of medical education significantly hinders
bright students from considering medical careers,” said AMA Board
Member William Hazel, MD. “As baby boomers age and we continue to
face a growing physician shortage, the alarming cost of medical school tuition
and the debt burden on young physicians must be addressed.”
The AMA will work to increase the amount of funding available for medical students
through federal and state scholarship and loan repayment programs. The AMA also
will work toward programs that allow for deferment of loan repayment.
“We must look for novel ways to help medical students afford their
education so that we have enough physicians to care for our nation’s growing
population,” said Dr. Hazel.
About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association helps doctors help patients by uniting physicians
nationwide to work on the most important professional and public health issues.
Working together, the AMA's quarter of a million physician and medical student
members are playing an active role in shaping the future of medicine. For
more information on the AMA, please visit www.ama-assn.org.
News is included on the IvyRose website to inform visitors about current health
issues, but not to endorse any particular view or activity. Any views expressed
in the article above are not necessarily those of IvyRose Ltd.. Material in
this news item was released by the American Medical Association (AMA) on 17
June 2009 and may have been edited (e.g. in style,
length, and/or for ease of understanding by our international readers) for inclusion
here. For further information, please visit their website.
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