The state of New Mexico has provided a $5M grant to UNM SOM medical students. Every current student got 1 year’s worth of FREE tuition. This is to relieve the debt burden of studying medicine, but also to encourage medical graduates to stay in New Mexico to practice medical after graduation.
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Can UNM medical students take the grant money then leave New Mexico after completing medical school & other requirements ?
Should be a requirement to practice in under-served areas for a stipulated period.
The grant is just for this current school year with no promise of renewal.
There is no requirement to remain in state after med school/residency, nor any requirement to work in a medically underserved area.
Data currently shows that 78+% of UNM’s med students/residents stay in state to practice. Since 90% of UNM med students are from NM, many from smaller towns, there’s a good likelihood these small town grads will go home to practice after residency. UNM has created 17 new residency programs in rural areas of the state and all UNM students are required to do rural medicine rotations. One during the summer between MS1 and MS2 and another during MS4.
No requirement to practice in medically underserved areas because basically every single place in NM is medically underserved, including Albuquerque and Santa Fe. There’s a shortage of not just primary care physicians, but surgeons and every other kind of specialists you can think of.