MDNews - Greater Kansas

to provide clinical training to more medi- cal students. Dr. Hasty says he believes there are untapped resources among the state's 120- plus hospitals and thousands of clinics where KCOM students could train. On a recent morning, he had just returned from talking to a group of physicians who had responded favorably to taking new residents. Since becoming par t of the KHSC leadership team in May, Dr. Hasty and K HSC President Tif fa ny Ma sson, a clinical psychologist, have been traveling around Kansas to meet with physicians, nurses, other healthcare professionals, and educators, community leaders and other stakeholders to learn more about how the school should best prepare its future doctors. On this listening tour, the pair have been hearing that Kansas med students should be trained in new technologies, be able to contribute to emerging and innovative healthcare delivery systems, have leader- ship, team-based and interprofessional skills, and be able to graduate with lower student debt. According to the AAMC, the average debt for public school medical students was nearly $244,000 in 2018, while private school students averaged nearly $323,000 in debt. The pair also heard the school should recruit students who are from or already familiar with rural areas and who would be willing to return to rural and underserved areas after their education. Dr. Hasty says data shows that Kansans are going to medical school elsewhere — either because spots are limited at the state's current school or by choice. A report by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine indicated that more than 175 Kansans applied to osteopathic medical schools outside of the state for 2019. Once a student has left the state, it can be a challenge to recruit them back, Dr. Hasty says. Another in-state school could help prevent that brain drain. The college, a $125 million project accord- ing to Dr. Hasty, will occupy 116,000 square feet in the first five floors of what had most recently been the Finney State Office Building that housed a number of state agencies between 1994 and 2014. Before then, the building had been home to different department stores over the years, including the Innes department store starting in 1927. The college is part of a larger development in Wichita's downtown area — including a hotel, culinar y school, apar tments and other businesses — being created by pharmacist-turned-developer Sudha Tokala. The apartments that will become available in a building already connected by a walkway to the college could provide a nearby living option for the medical students and faculty. n Continued from pg. 11 M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S G R E AT E R K A N S A S ■ 2 019 1 7

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