The CEO of St. Joseph’s/Candler Hospital tells WJCL 22 News this couldn’t have happened without a partnership between them, the medical college, and Georgia Southern.
“Medical education is something that you can’t afford to make mistakes,” CEO Paul Hinchey said. “What we’re going to do is provide the clinical exposure to the medical students. So their ‘book worming’ is essentially done in the first and second year. Then they’ve gotta put on a white coat and get out and follow patients.”
Students will live and learn on Georgia Southern’s Armstrong campus. Then, they’ll move to St. Joe’s to get real-world experience.
Thanks to the new partnership, 40 more students will be enrolled in the medical college.
“We’re actually doubling the enrollment of medical students on the MCG side in Savannah. It’s ultimately going to be 160 students,” Hinchey said.
Hinchey said this couldn’t have happened without all three organizations working together alongside state lawmakers to get the $1.7 million in funding needed.
Speaker of the House Jon Burns said in a statement to WJCL, “Data shows that 82 Georgia counties have no OB/GYNs, 65 counties have no pediatricians and nine Georgia counties have no doctor at all. This must change, especially in rural Georgia.”
“I’m willing to bet that this is going to get some national attention and I think it’s going to be a model for other states,” Hinchey said.
The medical college says they expect to start enrolling students at the beginning of 2024. This will be the third medical college campus in Georgia, with others in Augusta and Athens.
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