Should Midwestern fuse with UA?

[medicine1]

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From the following website: (http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0518wedlets183.html)

Educate MDs and DOs together

May. 18, 2005 12:00 AM

Everyone agrees that Arizona will need more doctors in the near future.

The initial capital needed to start a branch medical school of the University of Arizona is currently unavailable. The monies appropriated by the Legislature will underfund even the start-up costs for the proposed medical school.

Until there are sufficient funds available to start the branch UA medical school (an estimated $80 million) why not negotiate with the president of Midwestern University in Glendale, Dr. Kathleen Goeppinger, to accept the initial medical degree students?

In the doctorate in osteopathic medicine and the doctorate in medicine, the first two years of basic science are essentially the same.

Some of the $7 million appropriated by the Legislature could be used to expand resources at Midwestern to accommodate the additional students. Midwestern has an excellent basic science program already in place.

After the two-year science program is completed the DO and MD students could utilize the clinical facilities of the Phoenix hospitals to complete their medical education.

To my knowledge, this would be a first cooperative effort of DO and MD medical education that would literally save millions of taxpayer dollars and help solve Arizona's imminent need for more physicians. - William E. Crisp, MD, F.A.C.S., Paradise Valley
The writer is a former president of the Arizona Medical Society.

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From my stand point, I don't think AU and Midwestern should fuse. I think the State should invest in AZCOM, rather than try to fuse allopathic and osteopathic medicine into one school, analogous to Michigan State. What do you guys think?

 

[Shodddy18]

Sounds good in theory, but I think it would be a big mess.

 

[medicine1]

A great medical school already exists, it is AZCOM, and the State should invest more money and time into AZCOM, rather than trying to fuse AU into AZCOM, or even build a separate allopathic medical school program.

 

[hylacinerea]

I agree! The state could help subsidize azcom and turn a good thing into an even better thing. I don't think it really matters whether it's MD or DO. It might even be better for the state to invest its money into a DO school rather than in an MD school becauses DOs tend to go into primary care more than MDs. In fact, as a previously posted article in the Arizona Republic stated, the concern of the state is a not a shortage of specialists but rather a shortage of primary care physicians. By subsidizing azcom, the state would be attracting more people from within the state of az who would be more likely to stay and practice in az. Also, the state could settle tensions with area hospitals and facilitate a kickass clinical program at azcom. Combining azcom's already outstanding basic sciences program with a great clinical program with state assistance could mean more opportunities for azcom students to enter residency programs in state and thereby be more likely to proactice in state.

 

[medicine1]

I agree with you hylacinerea!

 

[docbill]

More co-operation between MD and DO schools is always a Plus.

MSU and NJ are great examples.

 

[Chronotropic]

I don't think Az can support AZCOM like they do UA since AZCOM is a private school. Now if midwestern were to sell or turn over the school to the state that would be a different story. I don't see that happening thougn. Even if they did I could see UA wanting to oversee AZCOM and dictating how the school operated.

 

[Bill_Brasky]

No


-Bill Brasky
"First Friend of Brasky: You know, he would shoot whiskey into his neck with a syringe.

Third Friend of Brasky: He did all the make-up on the Planet of the Apes movies.

Second Friend of Brasky: He taught - he taught me how to love a woman - and how to scold a child.

First Friend of Brasky: He had dandruff the size of mice!

Second Friend of Brasky: To Bill Brasky!

All Three: Bill Brasky!"

 

[Boomer]

F'em....they've had what AZCOM has always needed (clinical training sites in Phoenix) and always shut us out. Funny that AZCOM now has what theyneed...

Beuatiful if it turns out that the shoe's on the other foot, but those U of A bastards will never officially ask for this....

 

[San_Juan_Sun]

I read that letter to the editor the otehr day, and it was pretty interesting. For those of you who do not know, change is in the hot valley air in regards to the rotations situation with AZCOM.

Before I get into this, please realize that NOTHING is final yet! And a bunch of this is speculation, so take it for what it's worth (not very much 🙂 ).

The UofA and ASU want to join forces to build a huge new medical school/research institution in downtown Phoenix. The City of Phoeniz is behind the proposal, as they want to enhance Phoenix's infrastucture and prestige (which is understandable). Many in state government are behind the idea because Arizona needs docs, especially in primary care. Here's the problem though: funding.

It all gets a bit murky after that. because the varioius machinations of government get involved. Suffice it to say that there is some jockeying in regards to funding the new medical school among various members of state and local government.

What does this mean for AZCOM? Many people are slowly becoming aware of the difficulties AZCOM students have in rotating at most of the major teaching hospitals in the Phoenix area. And they quickly realize that AZCOM, with many students geared towards primary care, can provide doctors that Arizona needs. And what's more, if they are allowed to rotate and thus better compete for Valley residencies, they provide a much cheaper alternative in getting more primary care docs in Arizona than a new school would. In other words, allowing AZCOM students to rotate at Phoenix area hospitals allows Arizona to devlop a pool of docs likely to stay in AZ much more quickly (and at a miniscule portion of the price) that the new medical school would.

Anyways, as these issues have began to develop, there are rumblings (only rumblings! nothing confirmed!) that the policies that keep AZCOM students out of hospitals will change soon, in part because it helps clear objections to the new medical school and in part because it makes sense for Arizona. There are a few minor details that I've left out, because this is still a sensitive time as the negotiations and lobbying efforts procede. Keep in mind, this is NOT an MD vs DO issue. A few other DO schools have contracts in place that currently allow limited numbers of DO students to train in these hospitals that AZCOM curretnly can't access.

So it's anyone's guess what will happen, but AZCOM's efforts to get access to teaching hospitals in Phoenix aren't a pipe dream anymore. But we still need to keep our fingers crossed. This is by no menas a done deal, and even if real change occurs, it's anyone's guess as to how soon and what scale it happens. But I sincerely hope they do, as there are several excellent teaching hospitals that AZCOM students would be grateful to train at.

Back to the OP: AZCOM and the UofA will never, ever combine.I sincerely hope that both schools will work together more effectively in the future, but you can definately count on AZCOM being a private school for a long time to come.

 

[medicine1]

I really hope AZCOM will recieve full access to all of the teaching hospitals in that area soon!