In the more northern climes, such as here in Nebraska, this time of year marks the birth and return of our plant life. In medical schools, it marks the graduation and transition of our senior students to residency and the final steps in assembling the class of students that will be matriculating this August. Both processes involve much hard work and celebration.
On St. Patrick’s Day, we celebrated the annual Match Day. This year was particularly enjoyable as the event took place in the absence of the required masking policy. It was wonderful to be able to see the smiles and excitement once again as the students, along with their families and friends, learned where they would be going for the next phase of their medical training.
The career direction of the class was much the same as in past years. Forty percent of the students will be staying in Nebraska for residency, the vast majority in UNMC programs. More than half will be in primary care disciplines. The top five final-year specialties were, in order, internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine, surgery and pediatrics, the latter two with the same number of students. Our students continue to be highly sought after by programs throughout the country. In addition to Nebraska, UNMC students will be joining residency programs in 28 other states, from coast to coast. To our students, congratulations, and we wish you all continued success.
The college’s admissions committee also has completed its review of applicants for the class of 2027. We now await the final decisions of applicants offered admission or who will be joining the class contingent on a spot becoming available. Once again, the admissions committee was extremely busy and had much to consider in deciding among nearly 2,000 initial applicants. We already are sure of some members of the class. These include students who applied early decision, MD/PhD program members, and those who are members of Nebraska pathway programs (RHOP, KHOP and UHOP). Students who have received offers of admissions to multiple medical schools have until early May to decide which offer they will accept. This decision will then result in a cascade of openings and decisions by other students who are currently on the “waiting lists” of various types at schools across the country.
One of the factors that impacts student decisions is the cumulative cost of their medical education. When one factors in tuition and fees, UNMC is among the least expensive medical schools in the U.S. Somewhat surprisingly, despite this affordability, the average amount of student debt with which our students are graduating is about the average for students from public medical schools, nearly $200,000. This means that compared to other schools, we lack their magnitude of scholarship dollars to further lower the financial burden of attending UNMC.
Thus, a major focus of the NU system capital campaign for the college of medicine is increasing support for scholarships. The college has committed nearly a million new dollars toward scholarships in the past few years, and a matching program through the NU Foundation has yielded nearly $2 million of endowed money for scholarships. Thank you to those who have and continue to support our scholarship programs.
But the need is great, particularly for students coming from less affluent backgrounds where the cost of attending medical school may be an insurmountable barrier to their pursing such a career — or at least doing so at UNMC. As we strive to improve the diversity of the physician workforce in Nebraska and across the U.S., being able to eliminate such a barrier is critical. As you consider your personal philanthropy now and in the future, please remember the needs of our students and consider a gift to scholarships.
In closing, congratulations to our “matched” seniors who we will further celebrate at hooding and commencement ceremonies in early May. We also look forward to knowing the makeup of the class of 2027 at about the same time. Finally, I would also like to acknowledge the incredible efforts of the associate and assistant deans and staff in the offices of admissions and student affairs, along with the many faculty who volunteer their time to serve on the various committees that decide on admission and then subsequently support the curriculum and our students throughout their time at UNMC, from matriculation to graduation. The success of our students would not be possible without you.
Happy Spring everyone.