Buies Creek – The Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine and Southeastern Health announced a partnership on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at Southeastern Regional Medical Center in Lumberton to offer medical training opportunities for Campbell’s students. The agreement is one of several academic health center partnerships between the newly formed medical school and major health care institutions in the region.
The partnership with Southeastern Health would involve training opportunities for third- and fourth-year Campbell medical school students, with additional residency programs provided post-graduation. Students and residents would have the opportunity to train alongside primary care physicians at Southeastern Regional Medical Center as well as primary care physicians and specialists throughout Southeastern Health’s network of 40 clinics.
The Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine will open to its first class of 150 students in August 2013. Students will spend the first two years learning on the Harnett County campus in state-of-the-art simulation labs before being assigned to training opportunities in regional community hospitals.
Dr. John Kauffman, dean of the School of Osteopathic Medicine, said this model is ideal for training primary care physicians, particularly physicians who will practice in rural and underserved areas.
“By placing our students in community hospitals for their third and fourth years and having residency programs available once they graduate, we believe it will enable our students to put down roots and become the next generation of physicians who practice in this community,” said Kauffman. “These students will be your pediatricians, your family doctors, your internists, your surgeons, your OBGYNs and your emergency medical physicians.”
North Carolina currently ranks 34th in the nation in primary care physicians. The need is particularly great in rural counties. Though there are four other allopathic medical schools in our state, less than half of medical school graduates from North Carolina medical schools remain in North Carolina to practice.
Joann Anderson, CEO of Southeastern Health, said Campbell’s mission to prepare community-based osteopathic physicians to care for rural and underserved populations in North Carolina is a good fit for the purpose of her organization.
“I’ve seen the difference that a school like this can bring to a rural community that has huge challenges when it comes to health care needs. The mission of this organization and the mission of Campbell University are in alignment. Both organizations have people’s best interest at heart,” said Anderson. “[We are] willing to commit the resources and meet the challenges in front of us to make sure that people have a better way of life and a hope for a future.”
About Campbell University & the School of Osteopathic Medicine
When the Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine Opens in August 2013, it will be the first new school of medicine in North Carolina in over 35 years. The mission of the Campbell University 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. The following values drive the medical school’s faculty, staff and students: teamwork, leadership, professionalism, integrity, diversity and the ethical treatment of all humanity.
Campbell University is comprised of seven schools. The University 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 nearly 40 years. In addition to offering the Doctor of Pharmacy program, the school offers undergraduate and graduate programs in Clinical Research and Pharmaceutical Sciences. In 2009, the name was formally changed to the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to provide additional health science programs, including the newly established Physician Assistant Studies program (2011), Master of Public Health (2012) and a proposed Doctor of Physical Therapy (anticipated Spring 2014).
About Southeastern Health
Southeastern Health, a non-profit organization, is a comprehensive health care system which offers a wide array of health care services through its affiliated divisions. Southeastern Health is accredited by The Joint Commission and has been designated as a Magnet organization. Southeastern Regional Medical Center, the hub of the organization, is licensed for 452 beds and offers a combination of acute care, intensive care and psychiatric services to more than 16,000 patients and 76,000 emergency patients annually.
Photo caption: Campbell School of Osteopathic Medicine dean John Kauffman and Southeastern Health CEO Joann Anderson sign an agreement to form an academic health center partnership on Feb. 19 at Southeastern Regional Medical Center.