Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C., opened the doors of its new osteopathic medical school Monday, the first medical school in North Carolina in 36 years, according to a News Observer report.
In its first year, the school has 162 students, with plans to grow to about 600 students in the coming years, according to the report.
North Carolina will face a physician shortage over the next 20 years, according to a N.C. Institute of Medicine report cited by the News Observer. Officials at Campbell University's School of Osteopathic Medicine have a "strategic plan" to recruit in-state students who are more likely to settle in the state and practice medicine after graduation — this year, 27 percent of the students come from North Carolina, according to the report.
Eleven hospitals in the area, including Central Carolina Hospital in Sanford, Southeastern Regional Medical Center in Lumberton and Cape Fear Valley Health System in Fayetteville, have partnered with the medical school, the News Observer reported.
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