近距离内射合集

The state Legislature is giving students at New Mexico鈥檚 largest medical school a tuition break in the hopes that it will entice them to stay in the state after they graduate.

A one-time $5 million appropriation will give each of the roughly 400 students enrolled at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine upward of $10,000 off of the cost of their tuition for the upcoming year, according to Dr. Mike Richards, executive vice president of health sciences at UNM.

Reducing the cost of medical education gives students more freedom when choosing what specialty to go into and where to practice after finishing their training, Richards said.

鈥淲e think both of those things help encourage people to stay in the state of New Mexico and potentially be able to go and practice in the communities where they come from,鈥� he added.

The appropriation is the first of its kind for New Mexico medical students, Richards said.

Tuition for one year at the UNM School of Medicine for New Mexico residents is $15,328 plus fees. The cost before student fees for nonresidents is $44,024.

The medical school at UNM is currently in the middle of a $636 million expansion that will add a 350,000-square-foot facility on the northeast corner of Lomas and University. The school hopes to double the size of its incoming class in time to welcome new students in 2030.

New Mexico 32nd in the country for physicians per capita, and every county in the state, except Los Alamos, has been a health professional shortage area, according to the Texas-based think tank . 

Though almost all UNM School of Medicine students are originally from New Mexico, the majority will leave the state to practice medicine after completing their training, according to a from the Legislative Finance Committee.

New Mexico has around 30% fewer medical students per capita than the national average, a university  found.

The state has also struggled for years to retain its physician workforce. Roughly 30% of primary care doctors either left the state, retired or stopped practicing from 2017 to 2021, according to a report from the nonpartisan think tank .

The think tank has lobbied for student loan relief for doctors who commit to practicing in New Mexico in the form of , which provides up to $300,000 in loan forgiveness to physicians who spend at least four years in the state. The bill passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate, and was signed into law in March.

鈥淲e think that is absolutely going to make a really big difference in terms of recruitment and retention of folks,鈥� said Kristina Fisher, Think New Mexico鈥檚 associate director. 鈥淎nd hopefully after four years in New Mexico, they want to stay longer.鈥�

The average doctor entering the profession has $250,000 in student debt, Fisher said.

For Philip Jimenez, an incoming medical student from Portland, Oregon, the $5 million legislative grant is a relief.

鈥淚t takes an immense weight off my shoulders,鈥� Jimenez said. 鈥淚 was super stressed about loans, and especially coming from out of state 鈥� am I going to have to take private loans? But now that fear is definitely starting to dissipate.鈥�

Jimenez received his white coat along with 111 others at the School of Medicine鈥檚 white coat ceremony 鈥� a rite of passage marking the beginning of medical school 鈥� at the National Hispanic Cultural Center on Friday.

Jimenez was born in Santa Fe and lived in Albuquerque until he was 10, he said, which factored into his decision to return to New Mexico for medical school. He says he plans to stay after graduation.

鈥淚 wanted to come back and serve the community that I felt was ignored for so long,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y family鈥檚 here, and I want to make sure they have a voice, the whole community has a voice, someone to advocate for them.鈥�

Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.