The Savannah community has long-been supportive of medical education. Students have been doing 4- to 6-week clinical rotations at St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System since 2007 and a residential campus was established there, a year ahead of schedule, in 2011. In addition to growth in the sheer number of students, educational opportunities are also expanding.
For example, this year, the campus hosted its first ever Southeast Community Engagement and Research Conference, where students living and learning at that campus and across the state were able to conduct and present community-based research projects.
The campus incorporates MCG’s innovative 3+ curriculum, which allows students to individualize their medical education – completing the medical school curriculum in three years, with options to complete a dual degree, such as an MD/MBA, or delve more into their chosen specialty in their fourth year. A select group of students, MCG’s Peach State Scholars, instead opt to enter into a primary care residency program after they complete their third-year and then commit to serve in rural and underserved areas of the state, in exchange for a scholarship that covers the cost of their medical education.
A four-year campus of the Medical College of Georgia in Savannah, with 40 students per class starting their freshman year, is a cooperative effort between MCG, Augusta University, St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System and Georgia Southern’s Armstrong Campus, which is located directly across the street from St. Joseph’s Hospital, part of MCG’s Savannah home base.
