This means more opportunities for students to become DOs.
http://www.walb.com/story/33524857/new-medical-school-could-be-coming-to-swga
http://www.walb.com/story/33524857/new-medical-school-could-be-coming-to-swga
My initial reaction is skepticism. The proposed location is less than an hour away from ACOM. If the school intends to fill a physician shortage in this area, then they better get some residencies established in due time in southwest Georgia. It's proximity with ACOM is also odd, but perhaps being in another state means that there may not be an competition with hospitals, resources, etc.
The skeptic in me says this is about money, but PCOM leadership is likely composed of rational stakeholders who are not just gonna establish a school for the hell of it--they must have evidence to show that the feasibility of an idea is beneficial. Time will tell--I am worried with the expansion of DO schools without new residencies being created at a commiserate rate.
I have the same concerns about DO expansion without residency development. I think that at some point, the government will step in and force COCA to merge with LCME much like AACOM, AOA, and ACGME did with GME residency. My guess is that it won't happen for at least ten years but the sooner the better.
I just read a bunch of forums and outside stuff yesterday on this topic and it is just insane. 11 DO schools are either in the works or already applied to to COCA to be up and running in the next 5 yrs. That's ridiculous!! There's no way you can maintain quality while simultaneously adding 1700 DO seats. Worse still where are they going to go for their clerkships, because half of those schools are opening in places they're not needed like GA x2, FL, LA, TX. And of the recently added 5 or 6 schools only half of them seem to be adding adequate numbers of residencies (acom, cusom seem to be doing well here). To me it seems like its going to flood the market with lower quality candidates turned DO who were trained at lower quality clerkships all applying to the same (if not marginally improved) number of residencies. Seems like COCA selling the whole set up down the river for some fat fees now.