New Mexico is one of the most affected states by the physician shortage. They have the oldest physicians in the country (many of them plan to retire soon) and vacancies at hospitals can remain empty for months and months even if they offer attractive salaries and benefits. That’s why the two medical schools in New Mexico will warmly welcome students that want to pursue a career in medicine, especially if they are resident students.  Here we made a summary of the most important aspects of each of them.

How Much Do Family Practice Doctors Get Paid in New Mexico?

If you are wondering how much you would get paid as a family practice doctor in the State of New Mexico, then expect to earn around $162,494 annually. The salaries could go as low as $86,001 per year to as high as $252,385 for the most experienced doctors. Some of the highest-paying cities in this State include Roswell, Santa Fe, Clovis, and Midway.

Click Here to See: The Best Medical Schools in the World

Top Medical Schools in New Mexico

1. University of New Mexico School of Medicine (UNM School of Medicine)

Founded in 1961, the University of New Mexico School of Medicine (UNM School of Medicine) is a public medical school that has a great reputation and consistently ranks among the top universities. According to the U.S. & News Report, in 2019, it was considered the 21st best in terms of primary care and the 78th best in terms of research. The Rural Medicine and Internal Medicine programs have consistently been in the top 10.

The M.D. curriculum distribution is similar to the programs in other universities. The first two years of foundational work consist of science courses organized in organ systems blocks. During this stage, students are exposed to clinical experiences and work with patients. This way they develop skills related to communication and clinical reasoning.

The last two years consist of mandatory and elective clerkships. They include community-based and ambulatory experiences.

This medical school in New Mexico offers two dual degree programs: M.D./PH.D. and B.A./M.D. The B.A./M.D. was made to tackle the lack of physicians. High school students from New Mexico that want to be physicians can apply to this program. They will first earn a Bachelor’s degree, in a program that was designed to prepare them well for practicing medicine. Then, they will start studying at the medical school.

Applications are done through the AMCAS platform and interested students must meet all the requirements specified on their website. They strongly prioritize New Mexico residents and only accept out-of-state students if they have solid ties with the state. Out of the 93 matriculated students in 2018, only 10 were out-of-state.

Another great aspect is that the UNM School of Medicine is one of the most affordable. Resident tuition is only $15,848!

See Also: University of New Mexico Acceptance Rate

2. Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University

The Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine is a relatively new private medical school. It was founded in 2013 but the first class enrolled in 2015. They currently have provisional accreditation by the American Osteopathic Association and are expected to have full accreditation by 2020 upon graduation of the charter class.

The D.O. program divides into a foundational coursework phase and a clinical rotations phase. Education is patient-based, so they make sure that students obtain enough skills during the first phase to enter clerkships. Besides science courses, they develop basic clinic and communication skills, and the ethics behind the labor of physicians.

This medical school in New Mexico has modern facilities. Students will have access to anatomy, simulation, and physical diagnosis laboratories and they will be trained through the Standardized Patient program.

For the last two years, students can complete their clinical rotations at Las Cruces, El Paso (Texas), Albuquerque (Arizona), Tucson, or Eastern New Mexico. They also opened around 100 residency positions for graduating students.

In 2018, they handled 5,254 applications from the AACOMAS admissions system. Only 162 students matriculated. They don’t accept international students and prioritize applicants from the western area.

New Mexico offers an ideal location for anyone interested in pursuing and practicing medicine, thanks to the high demand for medical practitioners and the aging population. The above two medical schools in New Mexico are some of the best medical schools in the US. If you are still unsure of the medical school you want to enroll in, you are welcome to sample other cheap medical schools in the USA listed on our page to explore your options. Additionally, you can take advantage of the free medical schools on our page to earn your medical degree without digging deep into your pocket.

We hope that this article on medical schools in New Mexico was helpful. To know more information on how you can study in the United States, visit the US Scholarships Page. 

About the Author: Hyun Lee

Hyun is the founder at Global Scholarships. He has received a full-tuition scholarship at Birmingham-Southern College as well as $1,000 Burger King Scholarship for his undergraduate degree and has been offered a fully funded scholarship consisting of tuition, living stipend, and health insurance for computer science Ph.D. program at North Carolina State University. Read more about his scholarship journey here.

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