WICHITA, KANSAS, April 12 —Friends University and the Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (KansasCOM) are pleased to announce a new alliance and partnership within the medical field.
Friends University is a small Christian university that offers a stellar health science degree program. KansasCOM is part of the Kansas Health Science Center (KHSC) and the first private, nonprofit osteopathic medical school in the state.
“We are pleased to partner with KansasCOM to offer our health science students the opportunity to continue their professional medical studies in a new state-of-the-art facility,” said Dr. Amy Bragg Carey, president of Friends University. “The level of training and expertise will positively impact so many and ties into the service of our R.I.S.E (respect, inclusion, service, excellence) values. There is no greater act of service than caring for the health of those in our communities.”
Located in downtown Wichita, KansasCOM will welcome its inaugural class this August. In this unique collaboration, a select number of Friends students may accelerate their career path with a 3+4 program. This program allows highly qualified students who meet KansasCOM admission requirements the opportunity to apply for, and begin, their first year of medical school in their senior year of undergraduate studies.
“What we know is that primary care physicians tend to practice where they grew up, attended medical school or completed their residency. We also know that of the state’s 105 counties, 92 are considered partially or wholly underserved,” says Tiffany Masson, Psy.D., president of the KHSC-KansasCOM. “KansasCOM is committed to addressing the severe physician shortage across Kansas and our partnership with Friends University is one way to help achieve this. Together, we will help get physicians into the workforce at an expedited pace, with the focus on recruiting from within the state and retaining our physicians after residency. We’re excited about the potential impact this will have on the health of Kansans.”
Beginning in the spring of 2023, facilitating the seamless transfer of Friends University health science majors to KansasCOM will allow highly qualified and trained physicians to be workforce ready to provide superior and compassionate health care to patients in Wichita and other Kansas communities.
About Friends University
Friends University, a Christian University of Quaker heritage, equips students to honor God and serve others by integrating their intellectual, spiritual, and professional lives.
About Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (KansasCOM)
Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine’s inaugural class will begin in August 2022. Implementing a curriculum that is student focused, patient centered, and community based, the mission of the nonprofit institution is to train the osteopathic physician of the future to provide effective, empathetic, and innovative care to optimize the health of patients and their communities. Located in downtown Wichita, KansasCOM is the first osteopathic medical school in the state of Kansas.
For additional information on the Friends University health science degree program, visit here. Additional information on KansasCOM can be found here.