UNMC celebrates students and education

Today, “I Love NU Week” continues at UNMC with a focus on education and our students.

At UNMC, premier educational programs are at the heart of what we do. UNMC’s faculty create programs and provide mentorship to our medical and health profession students, ensuring we produce the best of the next generation of health care professionals here in Nebraska and beyond.

“We celebrate our students, who are superlative both in the classroom and in the community,” said Dele Davies, MD, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs. “And the driving force behind the multitude of educational programs at UNMC is our dedicated faculty and staff, who continually innovate and work closely with all stages of our learners to keep us the forefront of excellence.”

Did you know:

• UNMC’s Sharing Clinics, which provide free medical and health services in the Omaha community, are staffed by student volunteers overseen by UNMC faculty.
• UNMC’s student body, including its energetic and involved Student Senate, is a driving force across all colleges in organizing and holding health-related outreach events in many Nebraska communities.
• UNMC’s 115 active student groups have held close to 800 events since Jan. 1, 2023, with more than 400 of them open to the public and including activities such as health screenings and health education events.
• UNMC students spearheaded the creation of Ellie, UNMC’s new and popular Lab mascot.
• UNMC’s medical school’s primary care program has ranked in the top 10 in U.S. News & World Report’s annual rating of medical schools for more than a decade.
• Students at the College of Pharmacy have administered more than 15,000 flu shots on UNMC’s Omaha campus and throughout the community over the last several years through a unique “Operation Immunization” collaborative project.
• The College of Nursing’s National Institutes of Health-funded HEART Camp Connect is merely the latest in decades of interdisciplinary projects that have combined research, outreach and clinical care geared toward rural Nebraskans. The colleges of nursing and allied health professions have long used interprofessional knowledge, web-based technology and grassroots connection to help improve the lives of Nebraska’s rural populations, especially rural women.
• At the College of Dentistry’s Children’s Dental Day, UNMC College of Dentistry and College of Nursing students annually provide free dental and health care services to about 200 children from across Nebraska.
• UNMC’s College of Allied Health Professions is approaching 30 years of awarding degrees to physician assistant program graduates from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and National Guard through the Interservice Physician Assistant Program, the med center’s longest-running continual federal contract. More than 6,000 military PAs around the world are officially University of Nebraska and UNMC alums.
• The College of Pharmacy’s recent graduates had 100% first-time pass rates for their licensure boards exams in 2019 and 2020, and in 2023 they led the nation among 142 accredited schools and colleges of pharmacy at 97.8%. UNMC has never had a first-time pass rate lower than 90% since keeping records and is one of only six pharmacy schools nationwide to beat that mark the past three years running.
• Enrollment in the UNMC College of Public Health is up 13% since last fall, as UNMC public health students continue seeking to improve the health of people in Nebraska and beyond.
• UNMC’s pathway programs, which include the Rural Health Opportunities Program, the Kearney Health Opportunities Program and the Urban Health Opportunities Program, help prepare rural and other underserved undergraduate students for guaranteed admission to UNMC’s medical and health professions programs, helping to build Nebraska’s health workforce.
• UNMC’s High School Alliance offers high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to train and attend classes at UNMC, including courses on infectious diseases, biomedical research, and medical decision-making, again creating a pathway into the medical and health profession field for young Nebraskans.
• UNMC’s annual Interprofessional Education Day, held for all incoming students in the fall and spring, features workshops and panels on the importance of interprofessional teamwork in the health field, laying the base for a collaborative and team-oriented cohort of future medical and health professionals.