Top 25 largest academic medical centers

What is the largest academic medical center in the U.S.?

The largest academic medical center by number of interns and residents is New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center. This academic medical center is affiliated with Weill Cornell Medicine. With 1,945 interns and residents, New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center is also the top hospital by net patient revenue (NPR) in both the state of New York and the United States.

The second largest academic medical center is Tisch Hospital, with 1,333 interns and residents. Tisch Hospital is affiliated with the New York University School of Medicine. Like New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, this academic medical center also tops the list of hospitals in New York and the U.S. with the highest net patient revenue, ranking second on both lists.

University Hospital comes third on the list with 1,040 interns and residents and is affiliated with the University of Michigan Medical School.

What is the difference between an academic medical center and a teaching hospital?

Though it may be tempting to think of this list as a list of the top teaching hospitals in the country, it is important to note that academic medical centers and teaching hospitals are not the same.

Academic medical centers are affiliated with a medical school and confer medical degrees. Teaching hospitals may also be affiliated with a medical school but do not issue medical degrees. They typically include medical students, residents, and other healthcare professionals who are finishing or continuing their medical education.

The history of medical residency in America

According to the American Medical Association, the medical residency system was first introduced in the 19th century, as a way for healthcare providers to build skills toward mastery in their respective specialties. Though the healthcare landscape and care delivery systems have changed through the years, the basics of medical education have largely remained the same with a combination of classroom-based teaching and experiential learning through clinical service.

The role of academic medical centers in the staffing shortage

The United States has been experiencing a healthcare staffing shortage that has been exacerbated in recent years by providers retiring and others leaving the field due to burnout caused by excessive workloads during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.

One solution to aid in the shortages would involve more students enrolling and completing a medical degree to enter the field. While the number of matriculated and enrolled medical students increased from 2021 to 2022, the percent change year-to-year was lower than years prior. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), in 2021 there was a 1.5% increase in enrollment and a 1.9% increase in matriculants. While the total numbers continued to increase, in 2022 there was only a 1.2% increase in enrollment and a 0.2% increase in matriculants.

One way to keep the numbers trending in a positive direction is to make fundamental changes to how graduate medical education (GME) programs work.  These programs are essential to the development of a physician’s knowledge and ability to provide care. GME training allows physicians to not only stay up to date on the latest medical developments but also contributes to physicians developing cutting-edge clinical research.

As it stands, GME programs are capped by Medicare. Expanding these caps could help to increase the number of students interested in pursuing careers in medicine.

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