Greenville Medical Campus Proposed Expansion May Bring More Doctors To SC

The University of South Carolina and Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center have announced a proposal to expand the USC medical campus in Greenville to help the state cope with a growing physician shortage.

Full news release:
Physician and clinician graduation rates at USC
could jump by at least 30 percent
Proposed expansion of USC’s medical campus in Greenville
will result in additional physicians practicing in S.C.

GREENVILLE, SC – The University of South Carolina and Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center (GHS) have proposed expanding USC’s medical campus in Greenville as a way of helping the state deal with a growing physician shortage.

Nationwide, medical schools are being urged to increase medical school enrollments to help prevent a predicted 124,000-doctor shortfall in 2025. Officials said the proposed expansion of USC’s medical campus could significantly increase the number of doctors practicing in South Carolina. The expansion could help increase the number of physicians graduating from the USC School of Medicine by at least 30 percent.

Approximately one third of USC’s third- and four-year medical students already train at GHS. The proposal calls for USC to add first- and second-year medical school training at GHS, meaning that medical students could complete all four years of study at GHS. Some USC pharmacy, nursing and allied health students also train at GHS.

A planning self study must go to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for consideration and approval. LCME is the national accrediting body for medical schools.

USC and GHS cautioned that the proposal is still in its early exploratory phase. A USC/GHS exploratory oversight committee, composed of board members from USC and GHS, has overseen the process to date. The full boards of trustees must also vote on the proposal.

The catalyst for the expansion is an Association of American Medical Colleges recommendation that U.S. medical schools increase enrollment by 30 percent in order to stem a predicted physician shortfall that could otherwise jeopardize health care in the United States.

South Carolina is already experiencing a physician shortage and ranks in the bottom third of physician manpower statistics nationally. The problem is particularly severe in the area of primary care physicians, where new patients may wait as much as one month for an appointment. The shortage will only worsen as more physicians retire and aging baby boomers put a greater strain on the already burdened system.

Officials said the expanded partnership between USC and GHS is an innovative approach to a problem that could cripple healthcare in S.C. if left unresolved. They predicted the expansion will increase the number of physicians graduating from the USC School of Medicine by at least 30 percent.

“South Carolina is already experiencing a severe physician shortage, and the current system cannot produce enough physicians quickly enough,” said Harris Pastides, PhD, president of the University of South Carolina. “Positioning South Carolina for the future is a core part of the mission of a state university. By expanding our existing physician education and training in Greenville, we can help train and retain more physicians throughout the entire state.”

Classroom instruction and interaction with patients are core components of medical education. Greenville has the infrastructure to address both issues, making expansion in the Upstate the next logical step, he said.

“We’re forced to turn away highly qualified medical school applicants every year, virtually ensuring that they will practice medicine elsewhere,” said Pastides.

As the only academic medical center in the Upstate and one of the largest health systems in the Southeast, GHS provides an optimal learning environment for medical students, a diverse patient base and access to research and clinical trials, officials said.

“Having an adequate number of highly trained physicians is critlargest health systems deliver quality health care,” said Michael Riordan, GHS PresSouth Carolina Riordan. “Our state is already facing a physician shortage, and as one of the largest health systems in the region working in close partnership with the University of South Carolina, it is our responsibility to anticipate the future healthcare needs of our community and address them.”

USC and GHS have a long history of collaboration, dating back to 1983 when fourth-year students from the USC School of Medicine began rotations at GHS. Other collaborations by USC and GHS include the Institute for Advancement of Health Care, a shared initiative that supports innovative initiatives designed to improve health and healthcare delivery, as well as the establishment at GHS of a campus of the South Carolina College of Pharmacy.