Although the summer months of July and August can be a time of quiet and reflection, for the college these months bring the arrival of our newest groups of trainees – both first residents/fellows and first-year medical students. It is an exciting time, but it also requires much effort and commitment on the part of the faculty and staff.
July 1, we welcomed 223 new residents and fellows to UNMC. Twenty-seven percent are UNMC College of Medicine alumni. Thirty of these individuals had already completed a post-graduate training program at UNMC and now are starting a new UNMC program with us. Among new house staff, 47 percent are women. There are 726 residents and fellows total.
The number of residency/fellowship programs continues to expand. They now number 88 and include 77 programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), 10 non-ACGME accredited specialty training programs, and the ADA-accredited oral surgery program.
However, this is not the end of the planned growth. Many current programs will be expanding the numbers of residents/fellows in their programs over the coming years. In addition, new residency/fellowship programs in Mohs surgery, pediatric urology and transfusion medicine have been approved by the ACGME. In the coming years, new programs in neuro critical care, dermatopathology, pediatric dermatology, laboratory genetics, child neurology, forensic psychiatry, colorectal surgery and surgical oncology are expected to begin.
On Aug. 23, we also will formally welcome the medical school’s class of 2028 at our White Coat Ceremony, which will take place at the Orpheum Theater. This year’s class of 138 was selected from more than 2,400 applicants. They come with a strong academic background as demonstrated by an average entering GPA of 3.84, and average MCAT score is 511. As in recent years, a majority (53%) of the class are women. Once again, a very high percentage (87%) of our entering class are from Nebraska. Additionally, a year from now we will be recruiting our first class for our Kearney Regional Campus, which is still scheduled to admit its first college of medicine class Fall 2026.
Things are moving forward in Kearney as planned. The building that will house the college of medicine is on schedule, and we are in the latter stages of identifying and appointing the regional campus dean. A process for selecting students who will become the first entering class is being refined. This continues to be an exciting opportunity for the college to help address the ongoing shortage of physicians in rural parts of our state.
In closing, I want to acknowledge the challenges many of our faculty, staff and trainees have had as a result of the prolonged loss of electricity and structural damage throughout the metro area from the recent severe weather. Many have stepped up to try and help, but the scope of the challenge has been overwhelming. As power has now largely been restored, we can only hope that the rest of the summer allows recovery and emotional healing. Please continue to support our colleagues through these challenging times.