The University of North Texas Health Science Center’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine was ranked 43rd in primary care this year, according to 2009 rankings from U.S. News & World Report. This marks the college’s seventh consecutive ap­pearance in the top 50.

“A leader in the education of primary-care physicians, the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine has earned national recognition for its curriculum reform, the use of medical simulation for training and a unique program to prepare primary-care physicians to treat rural Texans,” Marc B. Hahn, DO and dean of the college, said in a news release.

About 76 percent of TCOM’s graduates entered primary-care programs from 2005 to 2007, the third-highest percentage among the top 50 schools. The other two Texas medical schools ranked in the top 50 for primary care, Baylor College of Medicine and UT-South­western Medical Cen­ter at Dallas, had 43 and 42 percent respectively of graduates entering primary care during the same period.

Each year, U.S. News ranks professional school programs in business, education, engineering, law and medicine.