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Omaha holds both of Nebraska's MD schools: the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine (UNMC), public and founded in 1880, and Creighton University School of Medicine, private and founded in 1892 (school list).
In 2025-26 Creighton drew 6,162 applications for 250 first-year places, about 25 per place, and UNMC drew 2,311 for 142, about 16 (AAMC FACTS, Table A-1). The two classes look nothing alike: 84.5% of UNMC's entering class came from Nebraska, against 4% of Creighton's, which has also run a full four-year campus in Phoenix since fall 2021 (AAMC FACTS, Table A-1; Creighton MD FAQ). Students at both rotate through the eight Omaha hospitals on the CMS teaching hospital list, among them The Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Methodist Hospital (CMS teaching hospital list).
Facts about Omaha
| School | City | LCME accreditation | Next full survey | 2025-26 applications | First-year places | Entering class from Nebraska |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creighton University School of Medicine | Omaha | Full, since before 1942 | 2027-28 | 6,162 | 250 | 4% |
| University of Nebraska College of Medicine | Omaha | Full, since before 1942 | 2029-30 | 2,311 | 142 | 84.5% |
Accreditation: LCME directory; applications, places and in-state share: AAMC FACTS, Table A-1.
| City | Internal medicine residency program | First-time takers, 2023-2025 | Passed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha | University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine Program | 73 | 99% |
| Omaha | University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine Program (combined medicine-pediatrics) | 11 | 91% |
| Omaha | Creighton University School of Medicine (Omaha) Program | 71 | 93% |
ABIM internal medicine certification exam by residency program: ABIM residency program pass rates; ABIM says to read rates from under 25 takers with caution.
- UNMC's MD curriculum has three phases: Foundations of Medicine over 18 months (August to May, then August to March), Clinical Applications over 12 months with rotations of 6-12 weeks, and Career Preparation over 13 months. (UNMC College of Medicine)
- UNMC students submit the Step 1 application before the Phase 2 clerkship lottery in December of Phase 1 and must complete Step 1 before the Acute Care and Clinical Transitions block; a delay of more than 12 weeks past that block means a leave of absence. (UNMC catalog)
- A UNMC student whose first Step 1 result is pending may complete the first clerkship, but needs a passing result by that clerkship's last day to continue. (UNMC catalog)
- Creighton students take Step 1 immediately after Component I and II coursework and before their first Component III clerkship; those who have sat it may begin Component III clerkships in May while the result is pending. (Creighton University School of Medicine)
- Creighton allows three attempts at Step 1, the third within nine months of the school's Step 1 exam period, and requires Step 2 CK by July 1 of the year Component III ends. (Creighton University School of Medicine)
- Creighton has run a full four-year regional MD campus in Phoenix since fall 2021; applicants name a campus preference on one secondary application, sent when the MCAT is greater than 500. (Creighton University School of Medicine)
- On Match Day 2024, 109 Creighton students matched in Omaha and 58 in Phoenix, and 21 matched into residencies in Nebraska. (Creighton University)
Sources: LCME, directory of accredited U.S. programs (checked October 29, 2026); AAMC FACTS, Table A-1, 2025-2026 (checked October 29, 2026); UNMC College of Medicine, Curriculum (checked November 1, 2026); UNMC catalog, USMLE Step 1 Procedural Policy (checked November 1, 2026); Creighton University School of Medicine, USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK Policy (checked November 1, 2026); Creighton University School of Medicine, MD Program FAQ (checked November 1, 2026); Creighton University, Match Day 2024 (checked November 1, 2026); ABIM, residency program pass rates 2023-2025 (checked October 29, 2026).
UNMC: Step 1 before the Acute Care block
UNMC teaches in three phases: Foundations of Medicine over 18 months (August to May, then August to March), Clinical Applications over 12 months, and Career Preparation over 13 months (UNMC curriculum). Phase 2 opens with the Acute Care and Clinical Transitions (ACCT) block, then six required clerkships of 6-12 weeks each, in an order set by lottery.
Step 1 has to be done before the ACCT block, and the paperwork starts earlier: the Step 1 application must be submitted before the Phase 2 clerkship lottery in December of Phase 1, or the student is left out of the lottery (UNMC Step 1 policy). A student whose first result is still pending may finish the first clerkship but needs a pass by that clerkship's last day to go on, and a delay of more than 12 weeks past the ACCT block means a leave of absence.
In practice a UNMC student's dedicated period sits between the end of Foundations in March and the start of ACCT. We plan it from the December application date: a baseline NBME before winter break, a question-bank pace through the last Foundations blocks, and a test date that leaves room for the result to arrive inside the first clerkship.
Creighton: Step 1 before Component III, in Omaha and Phoenix
Creighton's policy puts Step 1 immediately after Component I and II coursework, inside dates the school sets, and before the first Component III clerkship (Creighton USMLE policy). Students who have sat the exam may start Component III clerkships in May while the score is pending; a failure reported before the start date keeps them out until they retake it.
Creighton allows three Step 1 attempts, with the third due within nine months of the school's Step 1 exam period, and requires Step 2 CK by July 1 of the year Component III ends. Passing Step 2 CK is not a Creighton graduation requirement, though residency programs and Step 3 eligibility depend on it (Creighton USMLE policy).
The Phoenix campus follows the same curriculum, which Creighton says LCME requires to be essentially the same on both campuses (Creighton MD FAQ). On Match Day 2024, 109 Creighton students matched in Omaha and 58 in Phoenix, and 21 matched into residencies in Nebraska (Creighton Match Day 2024). We tutor students from both campuses on the same plan, set to the dates the school gives each class.
Medical schools in Omaha
| School | Degree | Founded | Type | Exam series | In Omaha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creighton University School of Medicine | MD | 1892 | Private | USMLE | Main campus |
| University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine | MD | 1880 | Public | USMLE | Main campus |
Creighton University School of Medicine lists 609 students on Wikipedia.
University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine lists 4,847 (2026) students on Wikipedia; its listed teaching hospital is Nebraska Medicine.
School list: LCME and COCA lists, via the list of medical schools in the United States, checked October 2026.
Teaching hospitals in Omaha
On the CMS teaching hospital list (October 2026):
- The Nebraska Medical Center, 989200 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198
- CHI Health-Creighton Univ Med Center, 601 North 30th Street, Omaha, NE 68131
- Nebraska Methodist Hospital, 8303 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE 68114
- CHI Health Creighton University Medical Center - Bergan Mercy, 7500 Mercy Road, Omaha, NE 68124
- CHI Health Immanuel, 6901 North 72nd Street, Omaha, NE 68122
- CHI Health Lakeside, 16901 Lakeside Hills Ct, Omaha, NE 68130
- Madonna Rehab Omaha LTC Hospital, 17500 Burke Street, Omaha, NE 68118
- Children's Hospital & Medical Center, 8200 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE 68114
When Omaha students must take the boards
Creighton University School of Medicine states: “A student must receive a passing score on USMLE Step 1 before officially advancing to the Component III year.” (Creighton SOM Medical Education Program Policies: USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK Policy).
University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine states: “Students must complete Step 1 before the start of the Acute Care and Clinical Transitions (ACCT) block.” (USMLE Step 1 Procedural Policy - UNMC Catalog, 2026-2027).
The exams Omaha students take, in order
Both Omaha schools grant the MD, so both point to the USMLE, and at both Step 1 is a gate into the clinical year: UNMC's ACCT block and Creighton's Component III (UNMC Step 1 policy; Creighton USMLE policy). Step 2 CK follows the clerkships, and Step 3 comes during residency.
At Creighton a student who fails Step 1 during a clerkship may not take that clerkship's NBME shelf exam until Step 1 is passed, so a Step 1 problem quickly becomes a shelf problem too (Creighton USMLE policy). Internal medicine residents later sit the ABIM exam: in 2023-2025, 99% of 73 first-time takers from the UNMC program and 93% of 71 from Creighton's Omaha program passed (ABIM).
Nebraska board rules for Omaha graduates
Nebraska's medical board sets the rules for Omaha graduates who stay in the state for residency or practice. FSMB's wording is “4 attempts+ at each USMLE Step; 4 attempts+ at each COMLEX Level” (FSMB). Creighton is stricter than the state: it allows three Step 1 attempts before referral for dismissal (Creighton USMLE policy), and the USMLE program ends eligibility for every Step after four attempts at one Step without passing (USMLE eligibility rules).
How much Omaha searches for board prep
Shelf exams are the one exam term where Omaha ranks near the top of the country over the past five years (Google Trends, retrieved October 2026). Scores are relative to other metro areas, not counts.
- “Shelf exam”: number 13 among US metro areas, score 45 of 100