MCALLEN, Texas - Dr. Michael B. Hocker, dean of UT-Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, has spoken of the challenges he faces when recruiting physicians to the region.
“When I recruit physicians here… how many people here have to do recruitment to the Rio Grande Valley from out of the Valley? I know there's several of you. It's hard. My conversation always starts the same way. I'm at UT RGV. UT What? Then it's like, the Rio Grande Valley. (And they will say) Tell me a city there. So, then I usually start naming the cities. I usually get to the Island. And then somebody says, Oh, yeah, okay. I know where that is,” Hocker said.
“And then the next question, which is, frankly, something that we, collectively as a community, have to overcome, is… oh, you live on the border. It must be so safe. It must not be safe there. Did you really move your family there? Oh, my God, tell me about what's going on.”
Hocker said the perception of the South Texas border region can be influenced by what news channel you watch.
“I say (to the physicians I am trying to recruit), it's one of the safest places in the country. It's a tropical paradise. Yes, it gets really hot in the summer, but it's a tropical paradise. Once we get them here, usually they're amazed because they all they've seen is the news and the issues related to the border, and we have to overcome that.”
Hocker made his remarks in a speech at a State of RGV Real Estate forum hosted by Edwards Abstract & Title Company. It was held at the McAllen Convention Center. He said it was “really important” that he told the story of the medical school.
“So in the 1940, legislation actually looked at forming a medical school in the Rio Grande Valley. But it didn't happen. It wasn't until the late 1990s that the legislation actually passed to start the medical school here,” Hocker explained.
“I think that's somewhat parallel, somewhat, to the history of the Rio Grande Valley. Often it was long neglected, a lack of physicians, a lack of specialty care, a lack of opportunities. If you were somebody who wanted to go to medical school in the Rio Grande Valley, if you were a bright student, you left the Rio Grande Valley, you had to go somewhere else to go to medical school.”
So, the best and brightest would leave the Valley to pursue their career goal of becoming a physician, Hocker said. They would then do a residency program. And they would not come back. But now, thanks to the medical school, things are changing, he said.
“I have so many physicians that every day I just thank them for coming back to the Rio Grande Valley and giving back.”
Hocker then gave a shoutout to UTRGV President Guy Bailey.
“I can't talk about our school of medicine without talking about UTRGV. I have one of the best presidents, if not the best president, in the United States to work for. What he's done is just it's unbelievable,” Hocker said.
Hocker said UTRGV is making a profound impact on the region.
“I'm not from this state, so I hope I don't offend anybody. But when you talk about who's the number one university in Texas, and there are a lot of great schools… but when you look at the measures of what UTRGV is doing, social mobility, student debt, the number of students getting educated, what we're doing here is truly transformational.”
Hocker then ran through the numbers.
"Last year, we eclipsed over 50,000 graduates. (That’s) since the inception of UTRGV. Think about that for a population of 1.5 million. That’s about five percent. Nowhere else in the country do you find that,” Hocker said.
“I remember Dr Bailey talking about… if you take UTRGV out of this community, if you take the School of Medicine out of this community, it won't be what it needs to be in the next five years, 10 years, or 20 years.”
And because he was speaking to a ballroom full of realtors and developers, Hocker spoke about the economic impact of the medical school.
“When you look at the economic impact… healthcare drives a lot of the economy. It's an important commodity for you all and the people you're selling your homes to. But (also to) us as families that live in these communities. When you look at just the School of Medicine, that’s about to approach its 10th anniversary, we now employ over 1,000 individuals that weren't employed ten years ago. Our economic impact is approaching a billion dollars, and in the next ten years, we'll probably double that. We are important to you. You're important to us.”
Editor’s Note: The Rio Grande Guardian secured an interview with Dr. Hocker at the conclusion of his speech to the realtors. We asked him about some of the key points he made in his remarks. Here is a video recording:
Editor’s Note: The above news story is the first in a three-part series based on Dr. Hocker’s remarks at the State of RGV Real Estate forum. Part Two will be posted in our next issue.
