BRISTOL, Tenn. -- <\/p>\n
King College drew one step closer to opening a medical college when its proposed School of Medicine & Health Sciences Center won initial approval from a major accreditation panel. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a significant step forward in developing a medical school,\u201d King College President Greg Jordan said Thursday of winning \u201capplicant school\u201d status from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which oversees accrediting for all medical-education programs \u2013 across North America \u2013 that lead to M.D. degrees. <\/p>\n
By gaining that status, King\u2019s proposed school has met the first round of requirements that must be met to be an eligible institution. <\/p>\n
King College is seeking to open its school in 2014 at a site off Interstate 81\u2019s Exit 14 in Abingdon, Va. Upon completion, the school is expected to have 60 to 75 students during its first year. One of the objectives for the school is to graduate trained physicians who will practice in rural areas and help reverse a worsening physician shortage, according to a news release from King. <\/p>\n
Jordan said the approval will now \u201cgive [King] access to resources\u201d across the North American medical community, including valuable input from consultants and experts on preparing the medical school for future operations. \u201cIt\u2019s a critically important dimension of the planning process,\u201d Jordan said. <\/p>\n
King was one of seven proposed medical schools nationwide to earn \u201capplicant school\u201d status. <\/p>\n
Jordan said King College has already won active, consistent support for its planned School of Medicine from Wellmont Health System. But he added that King is continuing efforts to establish a similar medical partnership with Mountain States Health Alliance, the other major health system in the region. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s critically important that there be a collaborative effort between [King] and the two major health systems,\u201d Jordan said. <\/p>\n
Tripp Umbach, a Pennsylvania-based medical-education consulting firm, has projected that King\u2019s medical college could have a \u201cbusiness volume impact\u201d of $50 million during its first year \u2013 and that number could rise to $70 million by the seventh year. <\/p>\n
Recently, a separate governing body for the proposed medical school has been set up, the news release states. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe King School of Medicine Inc. is the newly formed Virginia entity that will guide the development and progress of the King School of Medicine,\u201d Jordan said. \u201cWith the assistance of the firm of McGuire Woods of Richmond, Va., the corporation has established articles, bylaws and governance structure under which to operate.\u201d <\/p>\n
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\nKing med school gets initial OK<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"