The have and have-not medical schools. The widening gap between two extreme groups of medical schools.

Abstract

IF WE WERE TO CHART selected data to describe our medical schools, such as the total expenditure budgets, the number of full-time faculty, and the dollar value of facilities, we would find a large spread or gap between the top and bottom schools. No doubt there has always been a gap, but the changes that have occurred in medical education since World War II have greatly increased this gap—and there is every indication that the gap is rapidly growing. To say the least, it is an interesting phenomenon; more than this, it raises some important questions about our medical schools and medical education which warrant our careful consideration. Those not familiar with medical education probably do not fully appreciate the magnitude of the changes that have occurred since World War II. When these changes and the growing gap are portrayed by figures, they are so great that they come as