A Match Made in Medicine:From Student to Resident

On March 15 at 9am,over 150 medical school students at the USC Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles received envelopes containing their residency assignments-the final phase of their medical training when they will be mentored into their chosen specialty.For Veronica Ramirez,the daughter of Mexican immigrants,Match Day,as the occasion is known, was a day of mixed emotions,but overall very exciting.
As she read her letter,the petite,slender brunette dissolved into a big smile,then hugged her parents,with a high five for her Dad.She had gotten her second choice assignment:USC+LAC Medical Center,a Los Angeles County hospital where she has worked before.
Ms.Ramirez will be joined by 45 of her classmates at USC+LAC.Others will report to 20 states plus the District of Columbia.
One of the things that drew the articulate student to Keck was its growing emphasis on primary care.A very small but very strong group of Keck students wanted to go into primary care.Emergency and internal medicine,a primary care specialty,were the most popular specialties for her class,with 28 students each.Unfortunately,the number of new residents nationwide is down this year,from 16,528 to 16,008,in a nation that needs more of them,not less-especially in primary care.
Ms.Ramirez saw a lot of uninsured and underinsured patients at the L.A. County hospital.Their serious,advanced illnesses could have been prevented with proper primary care,a fact which strongly motivates her to go into the field,she noted.The youngest of four children,her three brothers also attended college and were incredible role models for her.She is the first in her family to go into medicine.
Medical school students across the country gather to learn where they will spend their next 3+ years on this annual ritual of Match Day.

Grateful Patient Helps New Doctors

Five USC Keck School of Medicine graduates who are going into the primary care field have been awarded scholarships of 25,000 dollars each.The scholarships were provided by Carlton and Nancy Spencer.Mr.Spencer has wanted to assist primary care residents since he was diagnosed with a heart condition by his primary care physician,himself a Keck School alumnus,a few years ago and referred for emergency open heart surgery.
Primary care residents typically have a mountain of medical school debt to pay off with only modest earnings.Elizabeth Ortega,one of the recipients and a family medicine resident,said it's amazing.The scholarship just makes such a big difference.Other recipients include three other family medicine residents,as well as an internal medicine resident.
These are the first Keck School scholarships designated for certain primary care residencies.Primary care is seeing a growing shortfall of doctors as medical school graduates gravitate toward the more lucrative fields,at least partially in consequence of the need to retire their student loans.
The average cost of a medical degree,including room and board,has been estimated to be on the order of 150-300,000 dollars.
Founded in 1885,Keck is the oldest medical school in Southern California.It is located on the USC Health Sciences Campus,which is just east of downtown Los Angeles,and has an enrollment of 1200 students.