Wanted: 12,000 Students

As one aftermath of war, the U.S. will shortly need 35,000 more doctors than it has ever had before. Agreeing in general with this War Manpower Commission estimate, the American Medical Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges have broken down the figures to a Veterans' Administration need for 15,000, the Army's for 10,000, the Navy's for 5,000--plus unestimated thousands more for civilians and relief agencies. Last week WMC launched a campaign to persuade 12,000 discharged veterans to enroll in medical or dental courses.

This whopping need exists despite the fact that the U.S. has been training doctors faster during the war than it ever did in peace. In 1943, all qualified students enrolled in medical and dental schools were signed up as Army or Navy trainees. Taking an accelerated three-year course, these military students (and a sprinkling of 4-Fs, women and foreigners) have been pouring through the schools so fast that between July 1942 and July 1948 the U.S. will have trained 40,000 new doctors--9,000 more than the preceding six years.

The prime reason for the shortage is that the U.S. (as Britain, Russia and Germany never did) stopped draft deferments for premedical students in July 1944.* According to WMC, "some medical schools will not fill any essential part of their first-year classes next month."

*The fact that draft boards are still drafting all bright, healthy 18-year-olds, experts predict, will lower the quality of medical students for some time hence.

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