Why Increase the AZCOM Class Size
How Will the Increase be Accommodated
What are the Benefits of the Class Size Increase

Midwestern University is pleased to announce that it will increase the class size for students in its Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine (AZCOM) from 145 to 250 students beginning in Fall of 2008. The University has received approval for this increase from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association.

Why Increase the AZCOM Class Size?

• Nationwide, there are 283 physicians for every 100,000 people. In Arizona, that number is only 207, even less in rural areas.
• Arizona ranks 33rd in the country in numbers of physicians per capita.
• The Arizona Physician Workfoce Study of 2006 concluded that Arizona needs 27,000 additional doctors by 2020 to keep pace with the growing population. That translates to 2,000 more physicians per year that are needed.
• MWU has received letters of support from Janet Napolitano, Governor of Arizona; The Honorable Timothy Bee, President of the Arizona Senate; The Honorable James P. Weiers, Speaker of the House of the Arizona Legislature; and Jeffrey Morgan, D.O., Immediate Past President of the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association.
  

How Will the Increase be Accommodated?

• Faculty: New basic science faculty, clinical faculty, and support staff will be hired to meet the needs of these additional students.
• Classroom and Laboratory Space: The following new and expanded facilities will accommodate the increase in students on campus and all are on schedule for completion this fall:
  • New Auditorium: seating capacity of 2,900 that can be divided into five lecture halls
  • Glendale Hall: 140,000 square feet to include classrooms, AZCOM faculty offices, teaching laboratory, and an electronic testing center. This new facility will also house the new College of Dental Medicine, the Arizona Podiatric Medicine Program, and the new Optometry Program.
  • Expanded Anatomy Laboratory
  • Expanded Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) Laboratory
  • Expanded Foothills Science Center and research facilities
  • New Standardized Patient Clinical Laboratory; will include mock emergency room, operating room, and intensive care unit with simulated models
  • Midwestern University Clinic: opened in May 2007 and provides clinical experiences for AZCOM students in OMM, family medicine, and internal medicine
  • Barrel Student Center Phase III: expansion for offices of admissions, registrar, financial aid, business services, student services, and university relations
  • Recreation & Wellness Hall: 15,820 square feet includes gymnasium, aerobics/exercise/dance room, cardio and weight room, handball/racquetball courts, music room, and arts room
  • Interfaith Chapel: for private reflection, ceremonies, and gatherings
• Library Facilities: The first phase of expansion will be completed in Spring 2008, with an additional floor of library space added in Winter 2008
• Clinical Rotations: AZCOM has signed contracts with core rotation sites in the state of Arizona that exceed the number needed for the class expansion. Please see the chart below.
  • AZCOM has added 173 new confirmed rotation sites to its 207 existing rotation sites, for a total of 380 sites with another 63 in development.
  • New rotations for Arizona hospitals include Banner System, Sun Health System, Scottsdale Healthcare System, Abrazo System, and Maricopa Integrated Health System
  • New rotations for rural hospitals include Yavapai Regional Medical Center (Prescott), Summit Healthcare (Show Low), Verde Valley Hospital (Cottonwood), Sierra Vista Regional Health Center, Kingman Regional Medical Center, Lake Havasu Regional Hospital
  • Additional rotation sites are available in Alabama, California, and Colorado.

  

• Postdoctoral Clinical Training: Midwestern University Matrix OPTI currently operates residency training programs in association with the following training institutions:

o Kingman Regional Medical Center, Arizona Desert Dermatology, Kingman Arizona
o Kingman Regional Medical Center, Kingman, Arizona (Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine)
o Sierra Vista Regional Health Center, Sierra Vista, Arizona (Internal Medicine)
o Scottsdale Healthcare, Alta Dermatology Group, Mesa Arizona

What are the Benefits of the Class Size Increase?

• For Students:
  • Students will benefit from additional rotation opportunities located throughout the state of Arizona.
  • Students will have access to brand new facilities on campus, including state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories, the new testing center, the new standardized patient laboratory, the recreation & wellness facility, and the interfaith chapel.
  • Students will be taught by a larger and more diverse group of academic and clinical faculty.
  • Students will have more opportunities to complete their residency training in Arizona.
• For Alumni:
  • Alumni will benefit from more colleagues in practice in Arizona to meet the physician shortage.
  • Alumni will enjoy greater recognition of their alma mater as AZCOM expands its footprint in the state.
  • Alumni will have more opportunities to teach and mentor AZCOM students at their practice sites.
• For the Osteopathic Profession:
  • The osteopathic profession will benefit from AZCOM taking a leadership role in addressing the physician shortage in the state.
  • The numbers of osteopathic physicians in the state will continue to growth. Currently, the American Osteopathic Association reports that 1,845 D.O.s are practicing in Arizona, which represents 10.74% of all physicians in the state. This percentage will continue to increase as AZCOM graduates more doctors for the state.
• For the Community:
  • The community will benefit from more practicing physicians to meet the health care needs of the growing state.
  • The community will be able to take advantage of more opportunities for prospective students to pursue osteopathic medicine as a career.