UH medical school hopes recognition, attracts more local students

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hawaii is short on about 700 doctors. Healthcare officials realize closing that gap is a long-term project. They say it will take a team effort among the UH medical school, lawmakers and future healthcare workers. They got a little boost Tuesday.

These 77 young adults could be Hawaii’s future doctors. They are this year’s incoming class at the John A. Burns School of Medicine.

“Super exciting,” said Jorden Corpuz, first year JABSOM student. “It’s been a long time in the making.”

U.S. News and World Report just recognized the UH medical school as one of the top 15 medical schools in the country in primary care.

In recent years, JABSOM says it has gotten about 2200 applicants for its program. However, only 400 of those are students from Hawaii. That is less than 20 percent. Dean Sam Shomaker says being recognized as one of the top 15 medical schools in the country helps sell the school to Hawaii students — that they can study here and to ultimately work here at home.

“Our experience has been very consistent that if we can have a state resident go to medical school here, do residency training here, we retain like 80 percent of those students going directly into the workforce,” said Dean Sam Shomaker, MD, JABSOM’s dean.

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The medical school says filling the pipeline of future healthcare workers is critical to closing the shortage. Which is why it holds programs like the one two weeks ago, giving high schoolers a “hands on experience” in the health profession.

“My philosophy is if we train a high school student in the health profession area, get them excited about a career in health profession, and they go into nursing, that’s great,” said Shomaker. “The state wins.”

It says it has also gotten help from the Governor and lawmakers, who last year created the HELP program, which offers loan repayment for doctors who work in Hawaii.

Another key — giving JABSOM students more opportunities to do their residency here at home. Which is exactly what many of these students want to do.

“We are the way we are because where we are fortunate to have grown up, the people we are surrounded by, the environment we were subject to,” said Corpuz. “And it would mean the world to us, knowing that we are in need of people in this field to fill the shoes and be able to answer the call that Hawaii’s making.”