Boonshoft School of Medicene | Photo by Caitlin Shatsby | The Wright State Guardian
Due to a national physician shortage, Wright State University (WSU) Boonshoft School of Medicine (BSOM) is set to expand class size and building space.
Building upgrades
The Boonshoft School of Medicine is working with the university to plan the expansion and renovation of the main school building, White Hall.
The plans include expanding classrooms, creating more study spaces in the building and updating common areas according to Valerie Weber, Dean of BSOM.
Weber added that the funding of the project would not be through the main university. All funding efforts and costs of the project are to be paid for via the BSOM’s private fundraising efforts and school foundations.
Student Opinions
Medical students, like Michael Harrington, also expressed their concerns about the growing class sizes, lack of amenities in the building and the overall stress on the medical education system.
“We are in this position of needing to generate more primary care doctors through a system that has shown that it can’t,” Harrington said.
Harrington also described packed classrooms and crowded labs and study spaces as additional concerns.
Physician shortage
In order to increase admissions and class sizes, BSOM needs expanded resources according to Weber. This growth will then help address the local and national needs of medical professionals.
During the Sept. 12 Board of Trustees special committee on Medicine and Health, Weber presented to the board information regarding a national physician shortage as well as current enrollment data for BSOM.
According to Weber’s presentation, the school has a 3% acceptance rate and an average class size of 132 students.
Weber wishes to grow this class size to meet the growing need of qualified physicians but expresses that this goal can not be met without expanding the school first.
“We can’t get any bigger without bigger classrooms,” Weber said.
It has not been revealed when the project will be complete or how much will need to be raised to cover project costs. More information about the project is set to come out in the coming months
