University of New Mexico School of Medicine to drop neurosurgery residency program

Practice Management
Alan Condon -

The neurosurgery residency program at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque will be scrapped next year, Albuquerque Journal reports.

Five things to know:

1. UNM is unable to provide the full spectrum of community-based neurosurgical services for its residents, with high faculty turnover in the department affecting the level of training.

2. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education is withdrawing the university's accreditation for the program, effective June 30.

3. Two neurosurgery residents will complete their training before the university loses its accreditation, but eight residents — with between one and six years left — will be forced to finish training elsewhere.

4. Michael Richards, MD, vice chancellor for clinical affairs at UNM Health System, told Albuquerque Journal that the university will have to pay the residents' salaries, which amount to around $80,000 per year, even after they leave to finish training.

5. Meic Schmidt, MD, is joining as chief of neurosurgery in February and will be tasked with restoring the program.

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