Campbell announces teaching hospital agreement with Novant Health Rowan Medical Center

SALISBURY, North Carolina — The Novant Health Rowan Medical Center and Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine announced Wednesday, Aug. 27, an agreement that will establish Rowan Medical Center as a teaching hospital for the school’s medical students. The clinical partnership will include training in the areas on primary care, family medicine, general surgery, OB/GYN, pediatrics, psychiatry and other critical services with an emphasis on the unique needs of underserved communities.

“This relationship will be beneficial for our medical center and community in a number of ways from enhancing our ability to recruit future doctors to boosting the local economy,” said Dr. Dari Caldwell, president of Rowan Medical Center.

The first year of the program will consist of 22 third-year students and grow to include 44 third- and fourth-year Campbell students who will receive clinical training from physicians affiliated with Rowan Medical Center. Rowan physicians participating in the program will become part of the faculty of Campbell’s School of Osteopathic Medicine.

“Campbell University is proud to have a presence in Rowan County and to partner with Rowan Medical Center to train the next generation of primary care and general specialists for North Carolina,” said Dr. John Kauffman, dean of the medical school.

With a projected shortage of physicians in this country to reach more than 50,000 by 2020, smaller communities will find themselves increasingly underserved. This program will not only help train physicians, but is specifically designed to meet the needs of more rural communities.

Nearly one in five medical students in the United States is attending an osteopathic medical school. In addition to studying all of the typical subjects you would expect student physicians to master, osteopathic medical students take approximately 200 additional hours of training in the art of osteopathic manipulative medicine. This system of hands-on techniques helps alleviate pain, restores motion, supports the body’s natural functions and influences the body’s structure to help it function more efficiently.

One key concept osteopathic medical students learn is that structure influences function. Thus, if there is a problem in one part of the body’s structure, function in that area, and possibly in other areas, may be affected.

Another integral tenet of osteopathic medicine is the body’s innate ability to heal itself. Many of osteopathic medicine’s manipulative techniques are aimed at reducing or eliminating the impediments to proper structure and function so the self-healing mechanism can assume its role in restoring a person to health.

Campbell’s  School of Osteopathic Medicine welcomed its first class of 162 first-year medical students in August 2013. The rotation program is scheduled to begin at Rowan Medical Center in June 2015.

About Novant Health

Novant Health is a four-state integrated network of physician clinics, outpatient centers and hospitals that delivers a seamless and convenient healthcare experience to our communities. The Novant Health network consists of more than 1,200 physicians and 26,000 employees who make healthcare remarkable at nearly 500 locations, including 15 medical centers and hundreds of outpatient facilities and physician clinics. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C., Novant Health is committed to making healthcare remarkable for our patients and our communities, serving more than four million patients annually. In 2013, Novant Health provided more than $566 million in community benefit including charity care and services. Novant Health is one of the top 25 integrated health systems in the United States and was named a top 50 “Best Places for Diverse & Women Managers to Work” by Diversity MBA Magazine.

About Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine

The Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine opened in August 2013 as the first new school of medicine in North Carolina in over 35 years. The mission of the of the School of Osteopathic Medicine is to educate and prepare community-based osteopathic physicians in a Christian environment to care for the rural and underserved populations in North Carolina, the Southeastern United States, and the nation.

Campbell began addressing health care issues in 1985 with the establishment of the nationally-acclaimed School of Pharmacy, which was the first new pharmacy school founded in the United States in nearly 40 years. In addition to offering the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Doctor of Pharmacy programs, Campbell  offers the following health science degrees: Bachelor of Science in Clinical Research, Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Master of Science in Clinical Research, Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Master of Physician Assistant Practice, Master of Science in Public Health, Doctor of Physical Therapy, and Bachelor of Science in Nursing.