Fifty years have passed since the University of North Dakota (UND) School of Medicine & Health Sciences celebrated its first full cohort of four-year M.D. graduates. As the 50th class recently accepted their diplomas, alumni from the Class of 1976 reflected on the evolution of medical education and practice.
Dr. Pat Moore, a member of the inaugural class, recounted his experiences in the 1970s when he faced personal health challenges during his studies. “I ended up hospitalized with severe acute abdominal pain, which turned out to be a duodenal ulcer,” he said, noting that simple remedies like milk and cookies helped him recover.
Reflecting on changes in medical education, Moore acknowledged improvements in today’s curriculum: “Looking back to the education I experienced… today’s curriculum is so much better in helping students understand the human body.”
Alumni highlighted three main differences between past and present training: increased clinical time, diverse elective options, and enhanced patient-centered learning. Dr. Ron Tello remarked on these changes: “We were in class studying biomedical things until the last semester of our second year.” Now, students engage with patients much earlier.
Dr. Robert Arusell emphasized team-based learning’s importance: “They do the small group thing, and they learn how to work together.”
The transition to evidence-based teaching has also been noted as a significant advancement by alumni like Arusell and Tello. They recalled how past practices relied heavily on memorization rather than data-driven decisions.
Tello shared insights from his career in occupational medicine at Sanford Health in Bismarck, highlighting policy changes that now support gradual returns for recovering workers.
Despite rapid changes in healthcare over five decades, alumni like Arusell, Moore, and Tello express no regrets about their careers. They remain passionate about their contributions to medicine and acknowledge that modern education equips new doctors with skills to meet contemporary challenges.
“Staying in North Dakota was a great move for us,” said Arusell about his decision to pursue medicine at UND when tuition was more affordable.
