The applicant pool: the genesis of the physician pipeline.

As medical schools across the nation consider the recent call made by the Association of American Medical Colleges to increase numbers of medical school students by 30% by 2015, it is important to explore the characteristics of the applicant pool. Understanding the make-up of the pool of recent applicants to the University of Kentucky College of Medicine can assist us in defining areas where the pool could be expanded in the future. Reviewing data from 2002-2006, we will examine the Kentucky county of origin of our applicants and matriculants. We will describe demographic characteristics of our applicants and matriculants with regard to gender, race and ethnicity, and international backgrounds. We will also look at factors that may discourage or dissuade prospective applicants from seeking admission to medical school including undergraduate grades, denial of the initial application to medical school, and cost considerations.