University of New Mexico School of Medicine

Infobox_University
name = UNM School of Medicine
motto =


established =1961
type =Public
endowment =
staff =unknown
faculty =unknown
enrollment =308 (Medical Students only as of 2006-2007)
dean =Paul Roth, M.D.
city =Albuquerque
state =New Mexico
country =
campus =Urban
mascot =Lobos
affiliations =University of New Mexico
website = [http://hsc.unm.edu/som/]

The University of New Mexico School of Medicine (UNM School of Medicine) is a medical school located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is part of the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. It is also the only medical school in New Mexico.

History

The school was established in 1961 by the Regents of the University of New Mexico. The first class was admitted in 1964 and the school graduated its first class in 1968. The school also received full accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education that same year. The school uses UNM Hospital as its primary teaching hospital, along with the VA Medical Center located at Kirtland Air Force Base, along with the other hospitals that make up the UNM Hospitals system.

In 1994, University administration decided to combine the School of Medicine, along with other programs in Physical and Occupation Therapy, Biochemistry, Medical Laboratory Sciences, and other programs into one entity known as the UNM Health Sciences Center, with the aim of combining the education and research contributions of each of these entities into one. While they may be grouped together on paper, day-to-day operation of each department is somewhat independent of each other.

The School Today

Admissions

Currently, the school enrolls 75 new students each academic year, which begins in August. Because the school is supported with State money, primary admissions preference is given to New Mexico residents. Secondary preference is given to applicants from other states that do not have a medical school, such as Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, as well as applicants from all other states. The last non-New Mexican admission was 2002. As is the case with virtually all other medical schools in the United States, admission is very competitive.

National Recognition

The school is widely known for its Rural Medicine, Family Medicine and Primary Care Medicine programs. These programs are consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally, with the Rural Medicine program consistently being ranked in the top 5 nationally.