Scopes and Scrubs Event Welcomes New Class of 2025
As is tradition for incoming medical students at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC), the School of Medicine class of 2025 gathered together on Saturday, July 31, to be presented with their first scrubs and their first stethoscopes from Alumni Relations.
Bringing students and families together with the TTUHSC faculty and administration, the event welcomes the new class of future colleagues by providing each student a set of scrubs and a TTUHSC branded stethoscope. Each year stethoscopes are sponsored by TTUHSC alumni donors and friends—allowing TTUHSC alumni to connect with the incoming class by supplying them with a vital tool and a formative memory of the campus.
Last year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the traditional event was replaced by a parade where students could celebrate and receive their gifts while remaining distanced in their cars. While students were pleased to be able to celebrate and gather in person this year, the effects of COVID continue to impact families and medical professionals across the globe.
According to Steven L. Berk, M.D., TTUHSC executive vice president and dean of the School of Medicine, more students applied to medical school at TTUHSC this year than ever before. The incoming class consists of 180 students, chosen from 5,000 applicants.
Coming from 49 different schools, the new class of students has an average GPA of 3.8. Berk clarified, however, that these individuals were chosen more for their character and commitment.
“It's about resiliency, not just being able to get good grades, but being able to handle all the challenges that may come before them as a physician. So I think even more than ever, we looked at those traits of character and resiliency and commitment than we ever did before,” said Berk.
Within this new class, 169 of these students are from Texas and 90 are from the West Texas region. Newcomers include 15 new additions to the Family Medicine Accelerated Track (FMAT) program, 14 joining the M.D./MBA program, 10 obtaining a joint medical and public health M.D./MPH degree, and one new student in the M.D./J.D. program.
The provided scrubs are green in color, representing the green velvet hood that these students will earn at the end of their journey when they earn the title of Doctor of Medicine. A tradition that started in 2003, this event gave students an opportunity to come together and celebrate the hard work that has brought them to this point in their careers.
Related Stories
TTUHSC’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Hosts Student Research Week
The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences hosted its 34th Annual Student Research Week March 8-11.
TTUHSC Researcher Receives NIH Grant to Study Vulnerabilities in Specific Cancer Types
The National Cancer Institute awarded a five-year, $1.9 million grant to C. Patrick Reynolds, M.D., Ph.D., director for the School of Medicine Cancer Center at TTUHSC.
The Hype Around Artificial Intelligence
Richard Greenhill, DHA, FISQua, FACHE, discusses the hype and reality surrounding AI in healthcare.
Recent Stories
TTUHSC Announces the Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health
The school, which is the sixth at the university, aims to train future health care leaders in population and public health.
TTUHSC Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy Class of 2022 Honored at Commencement Ceremony
The TTUHSC Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy celebrated the Class of 2022 May 21 with its annual commencement ceremony.
Living with Dysphagia
Dysphagia is a swallowing disorder that affects a person’s ability to eat or drink, affecting between 300,000 and 700,000 people in the United States each year.