Undergraduate education in rehabilitation medicine: trends in curriculum development and the impact on specialty manpower and delivery of service.

One hundred thirteen medical schools which offered full degree programs were identified and surveyed by questionnaires to obtain information which identified the existence, characteristics and involvement of physical medicine or rehabilitation medicine programs. The survey also attempted to identify specific changes which have occurred in undergraduate medical education in rehabilitation medicine since the Commission of Education and Rehabilitation Medicine survey of 1963-64. The results suggest that growth of the programs has not followed the expansion in the number of medical schools nor in the number of students enrolled. The programs have however, improved their administrative standing and involvement in medical schools. The impact on the undergraduate medical student is not satisfactory as judged by elective enrollment and recruiting of residents. Lack of funding was found to be one of the major obstacles to curriculum development, along with a marked shortage of academic physiatrists. The impact of the changes in undergraduate medical school curricula on rehabilitation medicine has produced considerable conjoint teaching in conjunction with a large number of basic science and clinical departments.