The Path To Med Schools Is Often Lined With Hidden Financial Landmines That Can Impede Low-Income Students

Even the application fees can be prohibitive, let alone the rest of the cost of medical school. In an industry that leans predominately toward the upper class, low-income students are left wondering how that's ever going to change.

The New York Times: ‘I Have A Ph.D. In Not Having Money’

David Velasquez learned his first clinical lesson early on: The health care system wasn’t made to care for people like him. Mr. Velasquez, 24, never had a primary care physician, because his parents couldn’t afford the bills. When he was 12, his undocumented godmother died of cancer, having avoided hospitals until it was too late. Mr. Velasquez, the only college-bound member of his family, knew he needed to become a doctor. When he registered for the Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT, his junior year, he called the Princeton Review to ask for a discount on a $1,200 preparation package. (Goldberg, 11/25)

Meanwhile —

Arizona Republic: Medical Students Get Free Tuition, Agree To Practice In Rural Arizona

Some University of Arizona medical school students are getting free tuition in exchange for a promise to practice in underserved rural areas for at least two years after they graduate. The scholarship money is from state funds earmarked to alleviate a physician shortage that is particularly acute in rural Arizona, where more than one-quarter of primary-care physicians plan to retire in the next five years. Arizona currently ranks among the worst in the country — 44th of 50 states — in its number of active primary-care physicians per capita, UA officials say. (Innes, 11/22)

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