Plans were announced last week for a new fast-track medical school at UC Merced as part of an effort to reduce the shortage of physicians in the San Joaquin Valley.
Proposed by Lt. Gov. and UC Regent John Garamendi, the plan would allow students to earn medical degrees in five years, condensing the conventional eight-year program by eliminating summer vacation. It would also make UC Merced’s medical school the fastest program in the nation.
Garamendi said the medical program would cost less for students since the duration is shorter, adding that existing resources in the UC Merced region should be used in order to implement the program by 2010 and further lower costs for students.
‘The university has to think outside the box,’ Garamendi said. ‘The budget is tight. Resources like classes, labs and professors could and should be utilized to cut down on expenses.’
The Board of Regents has already approved planning for UC Merced’s medical school, although the authorization was for a research-focused program. Garamendi’s proposed fast-track curriculum would eliminate the school’s research component, unlike the five existing UC medical schools at San Diego, Los Angeles, Irvine, Davis and San Francisco.
Construction of new buildings would not be necessary because the program would be held at the UC Merced campus, community colleges, local clinics and hospitals, Garamendi said.
The likelihood of starting the program by 2010 is ‘feasible if the university gets started today on the program,’ he said, adding that it would need to be done in coordination with UC Davis, UCSF and other resources in the area.’
Under Garamendi’s revised plan for the medical school, high-school students, especially those with family ties to the region, would be recruited to complete a three-year bachelor of science degree followed by a two-year general medicine program. They would then participate in two-year residencies to finish their training.
Aside from supplying much-needed medical care to the underserved region, the new fast-track program also aims to shift focus from medical research to educating aspiring doctors and nurses. Students who complete the program would be equally qualified as other physicians since they would be required to pass all the same tests and licensing boards in order to practice medicine.
‘It’s not about sacrificing quality, but putting aside expensive lab research and focusing instead on education and clinical research,’ Garamendi said. ‘The university needs to recognize that there is an enormous need for medical professionals and they’re not producing them.’
The San Joaquin Valley is one of the most physician-poor regions in the state, with only 173 physicians per 100,000 residents ‘mdash; 129 fewer than the state’s average. Many residents suffer from chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and respiratory ailments from dust, diesel-burning farm equipment and wood-burning stoves.
‘There are a lot of health challenges in the valley that aren’t going away,’ Brandy Nikaido, director of regional university relations at UC Merced, said in an e-mail. ‘In tough economic times, we need to be creative about solving pressing challenges.’
Garamendi’s approach is one of many creative models that could be used to implement medical education quickly and cost-effectively in the valley, Nikaido said.
‘UC Merced is continuing its planning for a medical school with faculty, our consultants and academic partners and the UC Office of the President to come up with a plan that is attainable, meets the needs of that region and state and will meet accreditation requirements,’ she said.
Trey Davis, director of special projects at the UC Office of the President, said in a statement that t
he Washington Advisory Group consulting firm is currently looking at how the fast-track medical program could be started and will release its report later this month.
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