Why don't more nurses become doctors? According to Scott Suchin, MD ’99, “Too many years, too much money. It takes four years of medical school and then at least three—and as many as nine—more years of training.” He himself finally finished paying off his loans last year.
Einstein Board Chair and Professor Emerita Dr. Ruth Gottesman’s unprecedented gift to fund M.D. students’ tuition at Einstein covers 65 percent of the total cost of attendance. Dr. Suchin aims to remove the remaining 35 percent of medical school expenses to make the path from nurse to doctor easier.
“I can't take away the years of training or the arduous workload, but if Dr. Gottesman and I together can remove the entire economic toll, then maybe more nurses who want to become physicians can do so,” said Dr. Suchin.
Dr. Suchin created the Jerry Suchin Endowed Scholarship for Nurses, named in honor of his father, to support incoming students’ needs, which include housing, healthcare, food, and transportation. By leaving the scholarship open for additional contributions, he hopes to fund the full cost of attendance for multiple nurses and make Einstein the premiere destination for nurses who want to pursue a medical degree.
All donations from alumni, colleagues, friends, and family will be matched dollar for dollar up to $250,000—doubling the impact of a collective fundraising effort—and will help to achieve Dr. Suchin’s long-term vision of reducing the financial burden on nurses who aspire to attend Einstein.
“Before my father died, he said to me, ‘Scott, go out and make a contribution to society.’ I cannot think of a better way to contribute to society than by pursuing this dream, this vision of mine. I only wish he were here today to see this,” said Dr. Suchin.
To learn more about Dr. Suchin’s scholarship, career, and passion to support nurses, click here.
Dr. Suchin plans to honor all donors who support the Jerry Suchin Endowed Scholarship for Nurses. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact the Office of Development and Alumni Relations at 718.430.4171 or daniel.mularz@einsteinmed.edu.