4 Best Medical Schools in Missouri

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Missouri has over six million residents and is known as the “Mother of the West” in the United States. Urban concentrations such as Kansas City, St Louis, Springfield, and Columbia are better known, but Missouri also has an extensive area covered by the rural settlement.

There are a lot of universities, public and private, in Missouri, and their medical schools are concentrated around the biggest cities. However, this doesn’t mean they don’t focus on the needs of the rural population as well. There are multiple opportunities to specialize in working in either environment if you choose to study medicine in Missouri.

Let’s have a look at the best medical schools in Missouri.

Top Medical Schools in Missouri

1. University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.83
    • Average MCAT: 509
    • Acceptance Rates: n/a

The University of Missouri system is the state university network for Missouri, with statewide representation. Kansas City School of Medicine was established in 1971 and is considered the best medical school in Missouri. The particularity of this medical school is that it offers a combined Bachelor/MD program that students can enter from high school. After six years of studying, they would obtain an MD as well as their Bachelor’s degree, integrating liberal arts, science and clinical studies.

On the “regular” MD program, students can also enroll after undergraduate studies. Preference is given to students coming from Missouri, followed by students from nearby Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

There is a great focus on research and on small student groups of 10-12 which form a docent team. This is set up to encourage clinical interactions, as the docent teams also include a docent, a clinical pharmacologist, a clinical medical librarian, an Education Team Coordinator and other healthcare professionals who accompany the medical students throughout their studies and research. The university also offers excellent practice settings such as state-of-the-art simulators replicating the human body and human conditions.

2. University of Missouri Columbia School of Medicine

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.85
    • Average MCAT: 509
    • Acceptance Rates: 7.5%

Located in Columbia, this medical school has the distinction of having been the first publicly supported medical school west of the Mississippi River. It was established in 1872 and now sits next to the University Hospital, Mizzou Biojoint Center, and Ellis Fisher Cancer Center. All these institutions are part of the MU (Missouri University) Health System. There is also a second campus in Springfield, the Springfield Clinical Campus, inaugurated in 2016. It receives 8-12 medical students each year to complete the last two years of their degree at those facilities.

The MD curriculum starts with two years of patient-based learning where students can work through real clinical cases alongside their courses in basic sciences. There are seven clerkships in year three, covering areas from family medicine to neurology. Finally, in the fourth year, students can take electives and are also required to complete a biomedical science course.

3. St Louis University School of Medicine

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.87
    • Average MCAT: 512
    • Acceptance Rates: 2.63%

This private medical school is located in St Louis and was established in 1863, having awarded the first MD degree west of the Mississippi River. As a top medical school in Missouri, St. Louis University School of Medicine is a leading institution of geriatric medicine, chronic disease prevention, cardiovascular disease, organ transplantation and more. The Saint Louis University Liver Center is a leader in hepatology across the US and one of the largest hepatitis C practices in the world.

The SLU School of Medicine has two affiliated hospitals: Saint Louis University Hospital and Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital.

The primary mission statement of SLU School of Medicine is to train physicians who are scholars of human biology, with a particular focus on what they call humanistic medicine. This combines medicine with ethics which permeates every interaction a future doctor will have with patients, colleagues and society.

4. Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.89
    • Average MCAT: 521
    • Acceptance Rates: 3.11%

We end our list of best medical schools in Missouri with the Washington University School of Medicine. The second St Louis-based medical school is part of Washington University in St Louis and was established in 1891 as a private institution. They have two affiliated hospitals: Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St Louis Children’s Hospital. Students and doctors from the university also work in St Louis Veteran’s Administration Hospital and other local and regional medical and healthcare institutions.

The School of Medicine is very highly respected and has links with 18 Nobel prize winners. The faculty members are also part of national bodies such as the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine. They offer multiple degree programs with options in clinical investigation, population health sciences, public health, business administration, health behavior research, and biostatistics. Studying at the Washington University School of Medicine means you will have access to a variety of research opportunities, student groups focusing on community service and support, and a very engaged student body overall.

 

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