Although Kentucky doesn’t have the largest amount of medical schools in the U.S., the options available for prospective students have nothing to envy from medical schools in other states. Actually, if you are interested in research, pioneer discoveries, osteopathic medicine, or rural medicine, Kentucky may be the perfect place for you! There are two public medical schools in Kentucky with decades of educational experience and a private osteopathic medical school. So, let’s jump into the details of each of them.
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Top Medical Schools in Kentucky
1. University of Kentucky College of Medicine (UKCOM)
The University of Kentucky College of Medicine (UKCOM) was founded in 1956 and is within the top 100 best medical schools. According to the ranking of the U.S. News & World Report, it is positioned as the 72nd best medical school in terms of research and the 74th best in terms of primary care.
As with most medical schools, the curriculum of their M.D. program is divided into two phases: foundational coursework for the first half and clinical training for the last half. However, the program includes early clinical experiences for students in the first and second year.
It has dual degree programs that combine the M.D. degree with a Ph.D., with a Master’s in Business Administration, or with a Master’s in Public Health. There are also internships available for students that want to gain experience in rural medicine.
Besides the main campus in Lexington, the university has opened some regional campuses. One of them is located in Bowling Green and was built in partnership with the Western Kentucky University. It received its first class of students in 2018. The other campus is located Northern Kentucky and was built in partnership with Northern Kentucky University and St. Elizabeth Healthcare. It is expected to receive its first class of students in the fall of 2019.
The university also developed the Rural Physician Leadership Program (RPLP), which was made with the objective of addressing the lack of physicians in Kentucky. It is located in Morehead and offers residency programs.
Admissions here are highly competitive, especially if you don’t live in Kentucky. In 2018, there were 2,695 applicants and only 166 were admitted. The average GPA was of 3.72 and the average MCAT score was of 510. However, if you are interested in going to a medical school in Kentucky, I highly recommend this medical school because of the reason below.
For those worried about the costs, UKCOM has great options for financial aid. Actually, 69% of the students receive some form of financial aid and 38% have a scholarship. They also have a Tuition Guarantee Program, which means that tuition will remain the same throughout the four years in medical school.
2. University of Louisville School of Medicine
If you are passionate about medical research and pioneer discoveries in this field, the School of Medicine at the University of Louisville is hands-off the perfect option for you. Although it doesn’t appear in the 2019’s ranking of the U.S. News & World Report, it doesn’t need to. They already have a long history of medical discoveries and educational experience.
Founded in 1837, the public the University of Louisville School of Medicine is the 9th oldest medical school in the U.S. But even if it was established almost two centuries ago, this medical school in Kentucky is a leader in research and clinical trials.
Among the most important achievements done by its researchers, we can mention the first-hand transplant in the entire world, the first implantation of an artificial heart, the development of auto transfusion, and the creation of the first emergency room ever. And these are just a few of their hundreds of achievements.
Besides their research centers, where there are always ongoing clinical trials and studies, the medical school also offers multiple programs. Along with the M.D. degree program, there are multiple masters and doctoral programs.
The master’s programs include microbiology and immunology, anatomical sciences and neurobiology, pharmacology and toxicology, biochemistry and molecular genetics, among others. Doctoral programs can also be done in the previous fields, but there also programs in audiology.
There are some dual degree programs that combine the M.D. degree program with a Ph.D., a Master’s in Business Administration, or a Master’s of Arts in Bioethics and Medical Humanities.
Admissions here are highly competitive, and they prioritize resident applicants, as they give them around 120 seats of the 160 seats available. However, unlike most public medical schools, they accept international students and transfer students during their second and third year. But they do prefer to select students that have ties with Kentucky.
3. University of Pikeville – Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine (UP-KYCOM)
The University of Pikeville – Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine (UP-KYCOM) is the only private medical school in this state that grants D.O. degrees. It is in the top 5 of the most affordable osteopathic medical schools in the U.S.
Besides the D.O. degree program, KYCOM has a special program called the Osteopathic Medical Scholars Program (OMSP). It is for those who don’t have a bachelor’s degree, so it combines a bachelor’s degree with a D.O. degree for a total of 8 years. There’s also the Professional Education Preparation Program (PEPP) which is available for high school students so they can explore the medical field and be in contact with experiences in medicine.
As usual, the D.O. degree program divides into a phase for foundational coursework in science and anatomy, and a phase for clinical training. Students start gaining clinical experience since the first year through practices with human models and under the supervision of physicians. Clinical rotations can be made in the affiliated centers in Kentucky or outside of the state.
KYCOM recently opened the Coal Building, which has facilities with cutting-edge technology. It has high-fidelity simulators, multiple research and gross anatomy laboratories, lecture halls, and a cafeteria.
The admission process here has to be done through the AMCAS platform, as in most medical schools. Prospective students must take the MCAT, have a bachelor’s degree with the required premedical coursework, and submit recommendation letters.
The cost of attendance at KYCOM is of between $34,000 and $38,000. However, they provide financial aid to most students. In 2018, they gave over $18,000,000 in grants and scholarships. Also, tuition here covers more aspects than in most medical schools, like the diagnose equipment and the use of a laptop, an iPad, and the required textbooks.
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We hope that this article on medical schools in Kentucky was helpful. Make sure to also check out the Available Programs for International Students!
