Nearly two dozen medical schools are expected to open across the United States in the next few years, with some of them already opening their doors to students.

If all of the proposed schools are established it will mark the largest increase in medical education establishments in thirty years, amounting to an 18% increase nationwide. In the 80’s and 90’s, only one new medical school was set up.

A number of factors are contributing to this sudden rise in new schools; the growing and aging US population, the prediction that almost a third of US doctors are due for retirement, and the increasing likelihood that changes in US politics will bring in waves of newly insured patients.

Many of the proposed new schools are positioning themselves to focus on care for immigrant and disadvantaged communities, often in more rural areas. Supporters of the plans hope that the increase in doctors will lead to better care and shorter waiting times for patients.

The Association of American Medical Colleges has called for a 30 percent increase in enrolment, something that the new medical schools will be aiming to fulfil.

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