Research Report
31
32
33
34
27
28
29
30
35
36
22
23
24
25
26
41
42
43
44
37
38
39
40
Table 2
Published and Reconstructed U.S. News & World Report ( USN&WR ) Primary Care
Medical School (PCMS) Scores and Rankings, Alternative Methodology Rankings, and Alternative Versus Reconstructed Ranking Differences, 2012*
Recon rank †
13
14
15
16
9
10
11
12
17
18
19
20
21
5
6
7
8
3
4
1
2
School
University of Washington SOM
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill SOM
Oregon Health & Science University SOM
University of California, San Francisco, SOM
University of Colorado SOM
University of Nebraska COM
University of Massachusetts Medical School
University of Minnesota Medical School
University of Michigan Medical School
University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen SOM
Perelman SOM at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver COM
University of Wisconsin SOM and Public Health
University of Alabama SOM
Harvard Medical School
University of Rochester SOM and Dentistry
University of Pittsburgh SOM
Wake Forest SOM of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
University of Virginia SOM
Johns Hopkins University SOM
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Southwestern
Medical School
University of Utah SOM
University of California, Davis, SOM
The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Indiana University SOM
University of California, San Diego, SOM
Northwestern University The Feinberg SOM
Morehouse SOM
University of Vermont COM
Mayo Medical School
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
University of New Mexico SOM
The Brody SOM at East Carolina University
Boston University SOM
Case Western Reserve University SOM
University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
University of Kansas SOM
Geisel SOM at Dartmouth
Tufts University SOM
Washington University in St. Louis SOM
Emory University SOM
Ohio State University COM
Vanderbilt University SOM
University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences The
Pritzker SOM
0.26
0.23
0.21
0.21
0.19
0.19
0.18
0.17
Difference in rank versus
PCMS score
Recon ‡ Pub § Pub §
PCMS rank
Alt 1 Alt 2 Alt 1 recon
Alt 2
0.71
0.67
0.64
0.62
0.60
0.59
0.58
0.56
0.48
0.45
0.45
0.44
0.43
1.53
1.26
1.10
1.08
0.98
0.92
0.76
0.73
75
75
74
74
78
77
76
75
72
71
71
70
70
85
84
79
78
100
93
88
88
13
13
15.5
15.5
8.5
10
11
13
18
19.5
19.5
22
22
7
8.5
5
6
3.5
3.5
1
2
10
11
34
21
16
19
26
12
32
20
31
39
35
7
5
8
9
3
6
1
2
12
14
41
22
20
24
31
10
32
25
30
53
37
4
6
9
7
2
5
1
3
−19
−5
3
3
−7
−9
−15
0
−15
−2
−12
−19
−14
−2
1
−1
−1
0
−2
0
0
−26
−6
1
0
−11
−14
−20
2
−15
−7
−11
−33
−16
−2
1
1
0
0
−1
1
−1
73
67
67
67
68
68
68
67
66
66
70
69
69
69
68
0.34
0.34
0.33
0.33
0.33
0.31
0.30
0.30
0.28
0.26
0.42
0.40
0.38
0.37
0.35
64
64
63
63
66
65
65
64
36
38.5
38.5
41
41
41
45
45
4
17
23
37
44
14
28
41
51
13
18
22
30
24
36
28.5
28.5
28.5
32.5
17
32.5
32.5
32.5
36
36
22
25
25
25
28.5
54
48
61
67
27
50
42
72
62
43
78
76
19
58
49
82
27
15
10
−3
−17
14
1
−11
−16
23
−6
1
−10
4
1
8
11
13
38
47
28
21
42
56
15
17
18
34
23
33
−13
−6
−18
−23
10
−12
−3
−32
( Table continues )
−21
−1
−35
−32
18
−20
−10
−42
23
21
20
−4
−20
0
8
−12
−21
21
−10
2
−7
5
5
Academic Medicine, Vol. 88, No. 08 / August 2013 5
Copyright © by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.

Research Report
Table 2
(Continued)
56
57
58
59
52
53
54
55
46
47
48
49
50
51
Recon rank †
45
64
65
66
67
68
60
61
62
63
83
84
85
86
79
80
81
82
87
88
89
90
75
76
77
78
69
70
71
72
73
74
School
University of Missouri–Columbia SOM
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
University of Miami Leonard M. Miller SOM
Baylor COM
Medical University of South Carolina COM
University of Tennessee Health Science Center COM
Medical College of Wisconsin
West Virginia University SOM
University of Arizona COM
Albert Einstein COM of Yeshiva University
The University of Texas SOM at San Antonio
University of Kentucky COM
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine-Bradenton
Weill Cornell Medical College
Duke University SOM
University of South Carolina SOM
Icahn SOM at Mount Sinai
Stanford University SOM
University of Oklahoma COM
Saint Louis University SOM
Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University
Georgetown University SOM
University of Connecticut SOM
Texas A&M Health Science Center COM
University of Maryland SOM
University of Cincinnati COM
Yale University SOM
Virginia Commonwealth University SOM
USF Health Morsani COM
Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center
University of Illinois COM
New York University SOM
University of North Dakota SOM and Health Sciences
University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
Creighton University SOM
George Washington University SOM and Health Sciences
Sanford SOM the University of South Dakota
University of California, Irvine, SOM
Keck SOM of the University of Southern California
University of Hawaii, John A. Burns SOM
University of Florida COM
Temple University SOM
University at Buffalo State University of New York SOM &
Biomedical Sciences
PCMS score
0.06
0.06
0.04
0.04
0.03
0.02
0.01
0.01
Recon ‡
0.16
0.16
0.14
0.11
0.10
0.09
0.08
−0.01
−0.01
0
0
−0.01
−0.04
−0.05
−0.05
−0.05
−0.22
−0.23
−0.23
−0.23
−0.24
−0.25
−0.27
−0.27
−0.06
−0.08
−0.10
−0.11
−0.13
−0.15
−0.17
−0.20
−0.20
−0.21
−0.27
−0.29
−0.32
−0.33
60
59
60
59
60
60
59
60
Pub §
63
63
63
62
61
61
61
58
58
58
58
57
59
59
59
58
52
52
51
51
53
53
57
53
52
51
51
NP
54
53
53
53
57
56
56
56
55
55
PCMS rank
Difference in rank versus recon
87
86
94
95
98
63
15
74
79
99
90
93
70
84
80
71
65
76
60
77
78
102
58
62
56
53
73
81
45
85
83
52
57
29
82
59
49
40
64
Alt 1 Alt 2 Alt 1
47 36 −2
68
33
81
27
−22
14
55
66
46
43
63
74
44
45
−7
−17
4
8
46
50
29
85
55
61
26
91
29
−23
4
0
−7
4
14
−9
48
72
60
52
71
87
59
93
90
10
14
−5
6
3
−21
16
−23
−20
97
64
80
86
108
40
16
73
65
96
98
95
67
88
83
69
75
79
51
66
77
104
8
−11
−1
−3
−4
−2
−9
−9
−19
17
66
8
5
−8
−3
7
4
−6
11
−5
−5
−28
1
−4
32
−32
25
−30
6
3
Alt 2
9
−35
20
−15
−25
6
6
16
−7
6
15
−3
−27
2
−31
−27
−14
20
5
0
−29
40
65
9
22
−8
−9
−5
8
−12
−6
9
−6
−9
20
6
−4
−30
54
54
59.5
54
54
59.5
54
59.5
Pub §
45
45
45
48
50
50
50
59.5
59.5
59.5
65
65
65
65
65
69
79.5
79.5
69
79.5
84
84
87.5
87.5
69
72
72
72
74.5
74.5
76
79.5
79.5
79.5
84
87.5
87.5
NP
( Table continues )
6 Academic Medicine, Vol. 88, No. 08 / August 2013
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Research Report
Table 2
(Continued)
Recon rank
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
108
109
110
111
104
105
106
107
† School
Florida State University COM
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences F. Edward
Hebert SOM
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey
Medical School
Stony Brook University SOM
Wright State University Boonshoft SOM
Wayne State University SOM
University of Texas Medical School at Houston
Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
University of Louisville SOM
University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine
Mercer University SOM
Drexel University COM
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-
School of Osteopathic Medicine
West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
University of Nevada SOM
New York Medical College
The University of Toledo COM
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Touro University California, College of Osteopathic Medicine
Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic
Medicine of the Pacific
Ponce SOM and Health Sciences
PCMS score
Recon ‡
−0.36
−0.38
−0.38
−0.40
−0.41
−0.42
−0.42
−0.46
−0.49
−0.50
−0.53
−0.60
−0.63
−0.67
−0.67
−0.70
−0.87
−1.06
−1.11
−1.11
−1.33
Pub
112 −1.94
* SOM indicates school of medicine; COM, college of medicine; Recon, reconstructed; Pub, data published in
† Reconstructed USN&WR rank, using reconstructed USN&WR PCMS score.
‡
USN&WR ; Alt, alternative methodology (see text) scores; NP, data not published in USN&WR .
§
Reconstructed USN&WR PCMS score, a weighted average of internally standardized ( z score transformed) scoring elements.
USN&WR rescaled their PCMS score so that the highest-ranked school has a score of 100.
NP
NP
NP
NP
§
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
Pub §
NP
NP
PCMS rank
Difference in rank versus recon
Alt 1 Alt 2 Alt 1
75 68 16
88 54 4
Alt 2
23
38
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
100
105
89
96
106
69
104
25
91
107
97
99
109
84
94
102
57
101
39
100
105
103
−7
−11
6
0
−9
29
−5
75
10
−5
6
−2
61
1
−3
0
−6
−15
11
2
−5
41
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
NP
38
109
110
111
92
101
103
108
112
35
107
111
110
70
106
89
92
112
66
−4
−4
−4
16
8
7
3
0
38
3
21
19
69
−2
−5
−3
0 of overall medical school rankings in an analysis limited to the 25 most highly ranked schools from 1996 to 2000.
9
Similarly, our finding of unstable PCMS rankings among schools ranked below the top 20 is generally consistent with the findings of prior research regarding the measurement properties of the USN&WR undergraduate and nonmedical graduate school rankings.
1,2,4,6,7,13,14,18,23 For schools ranked below the top 20 in our study, the differences in rankings among schools within years, and the differences in an individual school’s ranking across years, seem unlikely to represent meaningful, informative differences to medical school applicants, faculty, or administrators.
Whether or not schools with mean annual rankings in the top 20 actually offer better­quality primary care training than other schools remains open to question because validation studies of the USN&WR PCMS method have not been published. Directly examining the validity of the method is difficult because no gold standard reference method for determining primary care quality exists. Thus, we explored how removing or modifying those elements of the USN&WR PCMS methodology that have low face validity would change the scores and rankings. Both alternative methodologies resulted in substantially different rankings. For example, in 2012,
Harvard Medical School was 15th in the reconstructed USN&WR ranking, but
34th and 41st when applying alternative methodologies 1 and 2, respectively.
Harvard Medical School’s high ranking in the USN&WR methodology was driven in part by a relatively high “primary care rate” (data not shown, available from authors), which, as mentioned, assumes that all graduates matching into internal medicine and pediatrics residencies will pursue primary care (Table 1). Given national data regarding the proportions of physicians in these specialties who actually pursue primary care, 28–30 this assumption is likely spurious. Harvard
Medical School’s high ranking was
Academic Medicine, Vol. 88, No. 08 / August 2013 7
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