EL PASO, Texas -- The inaugural medical student class of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine came together for orientation on Thursday. The first day of class saw an equal number of nervous faces among the staff and faculty just as much as hopeful future doctors. Among the 40 students, seven are from El Paso, Texas and as the founding dean pointed out, they are all rock stars. "You have to have strong and wide shoulders to be a part of the charter class," said Dr. Jose Manuel de la Rosa. "Your pictures will be displayed for others to admire." De la Rosa looked a bit nervous himself on Thursday. After all, it was he who came up with the idea of having a medical school along the border some 20 years ago.

But today, it’s not only those who roam the halls of this state-of-the art medical school that have something to be proud of. Benjamin Ramos, who grew up in El Paso, attending Franklin High School and the University of Texas at El Paso, says today is also about the borderland having another reason to be proud of itself. "It gives El Paso a reason to feel like they are creating something good for themselves and a sense of security knowing that a lot of highly trained physicians, a lot of smart people are thinking about them, and their health," he said.

For the first charter class, medical students say they're excited and ready to take on the challenges that come with being called the first. De la Rosa challenged everyone who is part of one of America's newest medical schools to continue in excellence. And while it’s natural to be stressed a bit on the first day of class, Ramos is optimistic about the chances of him and his colleagues becoming doctors. "I think the pressure is large," said Ramos. "But the fact that we're the first class I think it puts a really large pressure on the faculty to help us achieve that goal." Ramos said that in medical school, there's a high rate of students who get in, do finish and become medical practitioners.

Perhaps for the first and only time they will do so over the next four years, all 40 students smiled and cheered, not only for themselves and colleagues but for the staff and the founding dean. De la Rosa in turn told the orientation class that the future of the school and the city's health rests on their big shoulders. After all, one day, one of these students may be somebody's doctor here along the borderland.

Now that the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine started its classes officially today, there will soon also be change coming to Thomason Hospital. Starting on Monday, the county's hospital officially becomes the University Medical Center of El Paso, becoming a teaching hospital for medical students.