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AAMC
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
is a national non-profit organization founded in 1876 that
works to improve the nation's health through the
advancement of medical schools and teaching hospitals.
The organization’s mission is to serve and lead the
academic medicine community to improve the health of
all. AAMC works to ensure that medical education
across each physician’s professional lifetime meets the
highest standards and keeps pace with the changing
needs of patients and the nation's health care system.
FEATURED BOOK: So, You Want to be a Physician: Getting an Edge
The AAMC originally only represented medical schools. However, according to the AAMC
website, in addition to representing the nation's 137 accredited U.S. medical schools
(and 17 in Canada), it also represents nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health
systems (including 59 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and 90 academic
and scientific societies), more than 128,000 faculty members in 98 academic and
scientific societies, and the nation's 75,000 medical students and 110,000 residents.
AAMC has initiatives broken down by medical education, medical research, and patient
care. For example, it administers and reviews the Medical College Admission Test
(MCAT), gives out an award that recognizes outstanding clinical or laboratory research
conducted by a medical school faculty member, works with America’s medical schools
and teaching hospitals, putting proven practices in place to ensure safer surgeries,
reducing infections, and cutting hospital readmissions.
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AAMC also administers the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) to allow students to
apply to medical school. After medical school, AAMC administers the Electronic Residency Application
Service (ERAS) through which graduates from medical school apply for further training through what is
known as a post-doctoral residency of fellowship. AAMC is located in Washington, D.C.