Kaiser Permanente’s Bernard J.Tyson School of Medicine is offering tuition-free medical school to eligible students.
The process is competitive. The previous academic year they received more than 11,000 applications and only chose 50 students.
Tuition and fees will be waived for classes through 2024. The waiver is available for each class for all four years of enrollment.
“We are working on our admissions for our fourth generation, and we have guaranteed free education for five generations,” Dr. Manuel Barral Sanchez, professor and director of Kaiser Permanente’s School of Medicine, said. “The school is exploring possibilities to extend the free education to more generations.
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“We are aware of their academic record, but we also look at their experiences in life, what type of difficulties they have had. We take note, for example, of the challenges [they come across].”
Victor Silva Escobedo was one of the students chosen for the program in 2021. He was born in San Diego, but his mother is from Culiacán, Sinaloa and his father’s relatives are from León, Guanajuato.
“My family has a lot of heart problems, and I worked as a research assistant with the cardiologist who takes care of my family,” Silva Escobedo said. “Having that perspective of how the advancements of cardiology and working with the community can impact my family, has impacted me a lot.”
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Silva Escobedo is also bilingual which allowed him to be a voluntary translator in a clinic for patients of low income in his community.
“That is specific for our Spanish population, because there are many studies that have demonstrated that the care and health are better when the health provider can communicate in the patient's language” Dr. Barral Sanchez said.
Kaiser Permanente’s Bernard J.Tyson School of Medicine will soon receive a new round of applicants for their free medical education program. Those who are interested in applying can do so starting May 30 on the website of the Association of American Medical Colleges.
This story first appeared on NBCLA's sister station, Telemundo 52. Haz clic aquí para leer esta historia en español
