Accepted Students Day Hosted for Upcoming Pathway Scholars Students
The Pathway Scholars Program (PSP) celebrated their newly accepted Class of 2025 students with an event to formally welcome them to their future medical school.
Accepted Student Day introduces admitted students to the resources and opportunities that the PSP provides. The program is an integral step in their journey to become physicians. Students who complete the one-year program earn a Master of Medical Studies degree and are guaranteed admission to the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix.
Racheal Mickel, senior manager for the PSP, said that this year’s group of students has experienced a unique journey. Despite the students facing hurdles along the way, Mickel said that those disadvantages now fuel their desire to pursue a future in medicine.
“Each student has demonstrated in their application, essays and interviews that they are representative of our 16 core attributes as a medical school and are committed to making a difference in their own communities here in Arizona,” Mickel said. “To each member of the incoming class, we welcome you and the unique life experiences and resilience you bring to our community.”
The event commenced with a tour of the Gross Anatomy Lab led by Darla Current, the interim director of the lab. After the tour, the students engaged in a variety of activities to learn more about each other, the program’s curriculum and the mentality needed to succeed in medical school.
Naif Hebo, Rebecca Rodrigues and Vy Bui are three of the students who will be joining the PSP Class of 2025 this summer.
“I’ve seen other medical students volunteer with Street Medicine,” Hebo said. “Seeing doctors and medical students from the college go out and serve the Phoenix community inspired me to want to go to this medical school.” Rodrigues discovered she wanted to be a physician after a loved one’s hospitalization and knew that the PSP was the right path for her.
“Acting as an advocate in the hospital, it really took a community to go through that healing process,” Rodrigues said. “It’s an honor that I get to be part of a community to learn about medicine with other like-minded people that have had similar struggles or stories.”
Bui is excited to be a part of the PSP because of the growth she will experience and the knowledge she will learn from medical school.
“The program is a huge opportunity for someone like me,” Bui said. “The chance that they gave me in the Pathway program will let me have a head start for medical school, and I will find out more about my learning style.”
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About the College
Founded in 2007, the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix inspires and trains exemplary physicians, scientists and leaders to advance its core missions in education, research, clinical care and service to communities across Arizona. The college’s strength lies in our collaborations and partnerships with clinical affiliates, community organizations and industry sponsors. With our primary affiliate, Banner Health, we are recognized as the premier academic medical center in Phoenix. As an anchor institution of the Phoenix Bioscience Core, the college is home to signature research programs in neurosciences, cardiopulmonary diseases, immunology, informatics and metabolism. These focus areas uniquely position us to drive biomedical research and bolster economic development in the region.
As an urban institution with strong roots in rural and tribal health, the college has graduated more than 1,000 physicians and matriculates 130 students each year. Greater than 60% of matriculating students are from Arizona and many continue training at our GME sponsored residency programs, ultimately pursuing local academic and community-based opportunities. While our traditional four-year program continues to thrive, we will launch our recently approved accelerated three-year medical student curriculum with exclusive focus on primary care. This program is designed to further enhance workforce retention needs across Arizona.
The college has embarked on our strategic plan for 2025 to 2030. Learn more.