AOMS hosts Academic Advantage Program for 5th year

AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — An Amarillo dental clinic played host Monday to local high school students interested in pursuing a medical career.

This is the fifth year for the Academic Advantage Program from Amarillo Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

The event featured an expert panel of medical specialists, giving advice on how to advance their career goals and ways to stand out during the college admissions process.

A big focus for the panel was the importance of educating the public.

"You know a problem that a lot of small towns have is that we bring people from larger cities into Amarillo to go into healthcare and they stay for about six months to a year and then they leave," Dr. William Graves, oral surgeon at AOMS, said. "You know, I think part of our strategy to get healthcare workers in Amarillo is to educate people that we have in our community right now, so that when they go away to college, you know they’re more likely to come back to our community and work in the health care field."