The first cohort will begin rotations at three hospitals in Southwest Michigan this spring.
Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed) and Corewell Health™ Lakeland Graduate Medical Education will offer clinical training for medical students at a new regional campus, located in St. Joseph, just 48 miles from WMed’s main location.
The partnership agreement, signed in August, will give second-, third- and fourth-year medical students an opportunity to complete their core and advanced clinical clerkship rotations alongside experienced physicians at Corewell Health Lakeland Hospitals – St. Joseph Hospital, Corewell Health Lakeland Hospitals - Niles Hospital and Corewell Health Watervliet Hospital. The first cohort of students from the new partnership will begin their rotations in March.
“Clinical clerkship rotations and residency programs are essential for medical education, as they offer students practical experience that cannot be replicated in a classroom,” said Natalie Baggio, president, Corewell Health in Southwest Michigan. “Our partnership allows Corewell Health to invest in the future of health care by providing guidance and mentorship to WMed students through our experienced physicians and medical staff.”
WMed students will complete their core clerkships in Family and Community Medicine, Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Psychiatry and Surgery at the new regional campus. WMed students will be joined by students from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, who also complete rotations at Corewell Health hospitals in Southwest Michigan.
“In exploring a collaborative relationship, our organizations’ shared vision for health equity with a focus on developing future physicians to practice within Southwest Michigan created an ideal foundation,” said Michael Busha, MD, MBA, the medical school’s chief academic officer and senior associate dean for Academic Affairs. “I am excited to see WMed grow its regional partnerships and impact.”
The new regional campus also includes three residency training programs in emergency medicine, family medicine and internal medicine. Residency programs are a crucial part in a physician's training, following the completion of medical school and clinical clerkship rotations. As a training site for resident physicians, Corewell Health Lakeland Hospitals offers an array of resources for students, including quality educational facilities like a simulation training center that is accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH). The learning experience is also enhanced by a low student-to-faculty ratio.
In addition to learning alongside physicians and faculty, students have the option to live in resident and student housing at Lookout Point in St. Joseph, which offers views of Lake Michigan and is only two miles from the city’s downtown district and hospital.
“Our partnership offers WMed students and medical residents the chance to immerse themselves into the community of Southwest Michigan,” said Baggio. “We hope that, with this experience, these future physicians will consider pursuing a medical career at Corewell Health.”