Louise Campbell, from University Hospitals Tees, said people from working class backgrounds needed to be encouraged into the medical profession.
She said: “I think sometimes they think it’s not for them, they haven’t come from the right background, they haven’t got the right accent, but actually medicine is for anybody and it’s a vocation.
“If you’ve got the right skills, the right attitude, you can go very far in it.”
Over the summer, a University Hospitals Tees group board meeting heard there were concerns government funding had yet to be found to ensure those from underprivileged backgrounds could take places, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
A report to the board stated: “The school may initially recruit a small cohort of self-funding students while awaiting formal approval to expand.”
Speaking at a surgeon skills day for sixth formers, Martha Tait, 16, from Stockton, said: “The stereotypical doctor is someone from a private school.
“But I feel in this day and age our future NHS will need more people from different backgrounds and that’s what makes the NHS strong.”
Teesside University said it hoped the plans for the medical school would create opportunities for young people in the area.
A spokesperson said: “[We] are excited by the potential it could bring to the Tees Valley, helping to raise aspirations and develop new skills and career opportunities for our young people while supporting the long-term health and wellbeing of our region.”
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