Best med schools

DO schools make U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 best medical schools lists

Learn which osteopathic medical schools are on the list of the best medical schools for primary care and U.S. News’ other best med schools lists.

U.S. News & World Report recently published their annual rankings of the best medical schools in the United States in several different categories. Many osteopathic medical schools are featured on the various lists for this year. In particular, the lists demonstrate that DOs play critically important roles in providing care in the primary care specialties and in rural areas.

Top med schools for primary care

First up is the ranking of the top medical schools for primary care. To create the list, researchers examined qualitative opinions on medical schools as well as student GPAs and MCAT scores and acceptance rates, among other factors.

Here are the five schools of osteopathic medicine that made the list and where they ranked:

  • #36 (tie) – University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #78 (tie) – University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #78 (tie) – Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #88 (tie) – Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #90 (tie) – William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine

See the full list here.

Med schools with the most grads practicing in primary care

The second ranking measures up the medical schools with the most graduates practicing in primary care. This list was determined by the percentage of each school’s 2013-2015 medical and osteopathic graduates practicing direct patient care in primary care fields. The specialties included are family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, geriatrics and internal medicine-pediatrics.

DO schools comprised all of the top five and eight of the top 10 schools on this list. A total of 24 schools of osteopathic medicine were ranked in the top 50; see below:

  • #1 – Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #2 – University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #3 – Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
  • #4 – William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #5 – A.T. Still University of Health Sciences Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #6 – Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #7 – Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #9 – Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #11 – University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #12 (tie) – A.T. Still University, School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
  • #12 (tie) – Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine-CA
  • #14 – Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine 
  • #17 (tie) – Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #17 (tie) – Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #19 – West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #29 (tie) – Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #29 (tie) – Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #32 – Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #33 – University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #37 – Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #40 – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #42 – Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #46 – Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine Academic Center
  • #49 – Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

See the full list here.

Med schools with the most grads practicing in rural areas

Next up, U.S. News & World Report ranked the medical schools with the most graduates practicing in rural areas. This ranking was measured by each school’s percentage of 2013-2015 medical and osteopathic graduates practicing direct patient care in rural areas of the United States. These areas have been defined using the USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Classification.

DO schools comprised three of the top five and six of the top 10 schools on this list. In total, 19 schools of osteopathic medicine made the list’s top 50, including:

  • #1 – William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #2 – University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #5 – Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #6 – A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #7 – Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #10 – Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #14 – West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #15 – Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #16 – Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #17 – University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #21 – Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine 
  • #24 – Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #26 – Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #29 – Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #31 – A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
  • #39 – Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #40 – Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #45 (tie) – University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #47 – Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

See the full list here.

Med schools with the most grads practicing in underserved areas

Finally, this is U.S. News’ ranking of medical schools with the most graduates practicing in underserved areas. This list was determined by the percentage of each school’s 2013-2015 medical and osteopathic graduates practicing direct patient care in medically underserved areas, also known as Health Professional Shortage Areas.

Ten schools of osteopathic medicine were ranked in the top 50 schools on this list, including:

  • #4 – William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #5 – Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #7 – Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #14 – Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #23 – Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #24 – A.T. Still University of Health Sciences Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #25 – Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #27 – Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #37 – Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #38 – Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • #39 – Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine

See the full list here.

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