Sixty students, most with ties to Nevada, are beginning their first week of classes at the new UNLV School of Medicine, which is beginning its second year of teaching.

The doctor visit began as it normally does for Kathie Velez.

According to a national study, Las Vegas has the highest risk of facing a shortage of OBGYNs by 2020. Doctors in the valley have already felt the effects of the shortage.

So it’s no secret that unfortunately the number of health care professionals in Nevada has not kept up with our increased demand. The UNLV Med School will help but that’s five to six years down the road. Southwest Medical is working with other universities in the area including Roseman University and Touro University to help solve the health care professional issues in Southern Nevada.

The inaugural class of the UNLV School of Medicine can breathe a sigh of relief now that their first year is over as of Monday.

About 10:15 p.m. Oct. 1, trauma surgeon Dr. Deborah A. Kuhls and her team at University Medical Center in Las Vegas got a call that there had been a shooter on the Strip. They were to prepare for injured patients.

As doctors wheeled 75-year-old Mary Kay Duda into surgery for a pancreatic tumor, she turned to her daughter, Katie, and said, “See you on the flip side.”

Nevada’s economy is growing at a healthy pace, especially when looking at where the Silver State was a decade ago. More than 250,000 new jobs have been created in the state since the recession, a number that will be increasing with the dozens of new projects across the state, including the $1.9 billion Las Vegas Stadium and the $4 million Apple shipping and receiving warehouse in downtown Reno. But despite these promising job growth numbers coming to the state, there is still work to be done. The need for doctors in the state of Nevada is a very real problem, and because of the state’s low reimbursement rates, it’s an issue that won’t be going away anytime soon.

On Shadow Lane, it’s crunch time. The last exam of the semester is coming up in two weeks for the inaugural class of 60 students at UNLV’s new medical school.

The turmoil surrounding UNLV President Len Jessup in recent weeks spilled directly into the university’s School of Medicine, where Dean Barbara Atkinson found herself facing uncertainty over whether she would be allowed to remain at the head of the school.

The founding dean of UNLV’s medical school will be on the job for at least another year.

Uncertainty over the leadership of the UNLV School of Medicine has been resolved, at least in the near-term.