HEALING HOPES: Methodist University and Cape Fear Valley have ambitious plans for training physicians in Fayetteville.

• Author: Mitchell, Tucker

Methodist University's plans to open a medical school in partnership with Cape Fear Valley Health may have raised an eyebrow or two among educational and medical professionals.

Both Fayetteville-based institutions are small relative to their peers, and starting a medical school from scratch is an ambitious project.

But proponents say this tall order appears to be the right order, given the urgent shortage of doctors, nurses and other health care providers. The problem is particularly acute in the rural counties of southeastern North Carolina, all of which are federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas.

"There's a great need in all (medical) specialties, in all areas, so someone starting a new school that will produce more doctors--hey, that's good news," says Dr. Alison Whelan, chief academic officer for the Association of American Medical Colleges, a Washington D.C., nonprofit that represents 640 institutions.

"The basic idea of this school, as I understand it, is to bring more providers to a particular area that's in need, to a rural area, and there is research that indicates that's a strategy that does work. So, this is a smart strategy, a useful strategy."

Methodist and Cape Fear have their work cut out for them. Methodist's plans an initial class of 80 students in 2026 with goal of about 120 per class as the school develops. The school could be home to nearly 500 students when enrollment is maxed out. Medical schools remain oversubscribed, says Whelan, so filling slots shouldn't be a problem.

That's good news. But paying for the school will not be as easy. It's expensive to hire instructors and establish labs and other space.

Moreover, the existing doctor shortage that plagues so many communities will undoubtedly trouble the medical school as it looks for residency slots for its new graduates down the road.

Third- and fourth-year medical students rotate through a series of "clinical clerkships" that form the bulk of their education during those last two years of school. After that, doctors must serve residencies lasting three to seven years before they're full-fledged physicians.

The training requires doctors or other seasoned medical professionals to serve as preceptors who teach and direct the students.

Methodist's basic thesis is that students trained in Fayetteville will be more likely to begin their practice in Cumberland County and neighboring counties served by Cape Fear and its six other hospitals or rehab centers...