These definitions are very fluid, however, and there are many schools that are highly ranked in both research and primary care (University of Washington is probably the best example of this, although if you aren’t a Washington resident, your chances of getting in are slim to none.)

Ultimately, though, you can get into a research career from any med school background, and the “research” oriented schools still turn out some stellar clinicians, so the division of the rankings is rather arbitrary and not uncontroversial. The “best” medical school will always be a matter of opinion and not fact.