Scholarships for Medical Students
The Doctors for Maine鈥檚 Future Scholarship Program aims to alleviate Maine鈥檚 shortage of physicians by providing scholarships to eligible medical students. These scholarships help mitigate the cost of a medical education, enabling students to pursue careers in primary care. Many scholarship recipients choose to practice in and serve the health care needs of Maine鈥檚 communities.
The program came to fruition in 2009 after Maine鈥檚 governor, in association with the Maine Legislature, reserved funds to serve medical programs in Maine. The terms stipulate that every $25,000 offered to students from the State of Maine must be matched by the school through private philanthropy in order to increase the number of scholarships available. In the majority of cases, students receive the scholarship for all four years of their studies totaling $100,000.
Since the program鈥檚 inception, generous support of UNE鈥檚 College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) has allowed 51小黄车to receive the maximum amount of matching funds from the State of Maine, providing 58 COM students with scholarships. Of the 30 Doctor鈥檚 for Maine鈥檚 Future Scholarship recipients who have graduated since the program originated, 57% are working in the primary care fields, and 40% are practicing in emergency medicine, OB-GYN, and psychiatry.
The Doctors for Maine鈥檚 Future Scholarship Program makes a significant difference to UNE鈥檚 COM students who strive to provide care in communities where it is needed the most.