130 Las Cruces medical students set to become doctors
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- More than 130 students in the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine will officially become doctors on Friday. Not only is this BCOM's first graduating class, it will be a virtual affair. Students will receive their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degrees at 2 p.m. The ceremony will be live streamed on the college’s Facebook page.
"Not only are we adjusting to becoming physicians but we're adjusting in the mid of pandemic, seeing highly sick people and not knowing what's going to happen - our own health, anyone's health. Yeelot says he decided he wanted to pursue medicine after doing rotations as a student at Silva Magnet High School.
Yeelot says the excitement of commencement is not lost even though the ceremony is virtual. He's looking forward to the challenge of saving people's lives and making the world a better place.
"Not only are we adjusting to becoming physicians but we're adjusting in the middle of a pandemic, seeing highly sick people and not knowing what's going to happen. Our own health, anyone's health," Yeelot says.
Dr. Don Peska, dean of the college, will present the Class of 2020 with their degrees. He will also lead the graduating students in reciting the Osteopathic Oath, where students pledge to provide compassionate, quality care to all of their patients.
This year's keynote speaker is Dr. Ogechika Alozie, chief medical officer of Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso. Dr. Alozie specializes in infectious diseases and is the largest single provider of HIV clinical services in El Paso.
A third of these graduating doctors will serve here in the Southwestern U.S., as part of BCOM's commitment to keeping doctors local. As for Carlos and his wife - they're heading to Michigan for his residency in emergency medicine.
