Tucked behind the glass façade of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV’s medical education building, away from classrooms and clusters of students, Dr. Robert Hernandez, Jr., sits in his office thinking about the best part of his job. As vice dean and chair of medical education, he oversees a team of educators, administrators, and professionals he describes as exceptional.

“The very best part of my job is the people I work with,” says Hernandez, who joined the medical school in March 2021 after serving as founding associate dean for academic affairs at the Khalifa University College of Medicine and Health Sciences in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. His career also includes leadership roles at the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine.

It’s his team’s responsibility to train Southern Nevada’s next generation of physicians, part of the calvary of additional healthcare workers coming to ease a physician shortage. How the team works together to do that is the secret sauce that separates the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine from other medical schools.

Students experience the difference very early in their tenure. They will tell you about the smaller class size (66) and a collaborative environment, different from the dog-eat-dog competitiveness some experienced during undergrad. They also talk about the effort and attention paid to student well-being. Learning communities, academic support services, and a comprehensive well-being program help ease the stress that comes with being a medical student. All of this is designed to create an environment to enhance learning, making it easier for students to drink from the “fire hose of information” coming at them in medical school.

Also by design, Hernandez and his team swoop in whenever students begin to struggle. “We’ll reach out to them to identify specific areas they’re struggling with,” says Hernandez. “People like Adeste Sipin, Reem Shehata, and Kane Toomer, are experts at this, while also being friendly and approachable. They can actually watch a student take an assessment, and then from that, guide the students on how they are thinking, how they’re approaching a question, and really get at the heart of how a student is processing information while taking a test.”

Lifting a student back up can be tricky. Medical students are typically high achievers not used to falling behind. Occasionally, they experience something called imposter syndrome. It’s when a high-achieving individual doubts their accomplishments and harbors a persistent, internalized fear of being exposed as a 'fraud,' despite evidence of their competence. Remarkably, academic support services has been quite successful getting them back on track. Hernandez is proud of the fact that of the 558 medical students who have enrolled in the school of medicine, only one has failed to complete the MD program.

“Nationally, the attrition rate is 3.1% for medical school. To lose only one student is pretty phenomenal,” he says.

But the school’s success at keeping students engaged and on track is only part of the story.

Recently, Hernandez was invited to speak about student outcomes before both the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners and the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada (UMC) Governing Board. During his presentation, he highlighted entering student demographic data, which on average, is comprised of lower MCAT scores and GPAs, higher numbers of economically disadvantaged and first-generation students – compared to national averages – versus the school’s consistently above average outcomes on United States Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLE) and residency matches. The school exceeded the national pass rate for USMLE Step 1 four out of the last five years. “Our student performance on the licensing exams has been exceptional and has been much better than you would predict based on the entering statistics,” says Hernandez. “The Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners wanted to know if we were slanting the admissions process toward students that might be coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, and I had to explain that we don’t score applicants on any sort of demographic. That these are just the applicants applying from the state of Nevada. So, it truly reflects who comes from the state.”

Results of the USMLE Step 2 (taken in year three of medical school, assessing clinical knowledge) are similarly impressive. The school met or exceeded the national pass rate for first-time test takers five out of the last six years, with a 100% pass rate four times.

Sitting in his office, Hernandez is surrounded by graphs and data showing consistently positive student outcomes – metrics that all medical schools strive to achieve. But instead of feeling a sense of accomplishment, Hernandez is more than anything, grateful for the people he works with.

“Much of the credit for graduating outstanding physicians belongs not only to faculty and academic leadership, but to the dedicated professionals working tirelessly behind the scenes. Our operations staff keep the daily machinery of the program running smoothly. Our student affairs team provides the guidance and support that helps students navigate one of the most demanding journeys of their lives. Our financial assistance staff help students manage the very real burden of funding their education," he said.

"Each of these roles is indispensable, and each is performed with a level of commitment and professionalism that rarely receives the recognition it deserves. The success of our students is a shared achievement, and I am so grateful for everything that they do.”

To learn more about the MD program at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, visit the MD Program webpage.