ABSTRACT
Historically, and still today, physicians and hospitals have a special relationship. Of the approximately one million licensed physicians in the United States, 938,980 were actively practicing medicine in 2018 according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Medical schools are organized within one of two medical disciplines: allopathy and osteopathy. The typical medical school curriculum is broken down into two parts and designed around the progression of the student through the education program. Entering students are required to have a premedical undergraduate education grounded in the sciences. Once they are enrolled in medical school, the first two years are often called the “preclinical” phase of their education. Having successfully completed step one of the United States Medical Licensing Examination, the student moves into the third year of medical school. The clinical phase of the curriculum is devoted primarily to education in the clinical setting. Historically, medical schools have relied on a number of revenue sources.
