For decades, William Carey University’s nursing school enjoyed a reputation for producing highly-skilled graduates in demand by hospitals and clinics throughout the Southeast.
“William Carey has always emphasized service to others as we prepare our students to take their places in the community. It’s a core value of the university. In healthcare programs, nursing is where we began, but we’ve been building on that foundation,” said WCU President Dr. Tommy King.
The first step came in 2010, when the WCU College of Osteopathic Medicine opened at the Hattiesburg campus. For a decade, it has accepted 100 students every fall, a total enrollment of 400 students. In September 2019, the medical school was authorized to double the size of its incoming class over the next three years.
“When this medical school was founded, we made a promise. It was a promise to graduate primary care physicians to practice in Mississippi, a state that ranks in the bottom of the country for access to care,” said Dr. Italo Subbarao, dean of the WCU College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“Mississippi has 59 physicians for every 100,000 residents. The national average is 82. William Carey places more than 75 percent of its graduates into primary care residency programs. The increase in our class size will help us become a more robust producer of doctors who are committed to serving the Mississippi populations who need it most.”
More expansionsIn July 2018, the William Carey School of Pharmacy opened at the Tradition campus. It is one of only a handful of accelerated pharmacy schools in the country, enabling students to earn their doctoral degrees in under three years.
The inaugural class of WCU’s new Doctor of Physical Therapy program graduated in August 2019.
WCU’s College of Health Sciences, led by Dr. Janet Williams, has added three new options for students: 1) Doctor of Physical Therapy program is fully accredited and its first graduates have accepted positions at clinics and hospitals; 2) Health Information Management program equips graduates to cope with the evolving technology of medical record-keeping; and 3) Health Administration and Education program prepares graduates to step into leadership roles in a wide range of medical settings.
The WCU College of Health Sciences marked a record enrollment of nearly 1,000 students in fall 2019.
Breaking groundWith a decade of growth comes the need for more and larger facilities.
On Feb. 28, William Carey University broke ground on a new home for College of Health Sciences programs. Located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Tuscan Avenue and Cherry Street, the 74,000-square-foot facility will house Nursing, Physical Therapy, Health Information Management, and Health Administration and Education. It is expected to open in fall 2021.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine – in need of more classroom and laboratory space for what will soon be 800 students – will have access to the buildings vacated by the College of Health Sciences. These include Fail-Asbury Hall, Mary Ross Hall and Thomas Hall. All three buildings are in close proximity to the present College of Osteopathic Medicine, allowing for the creation of a medical school complex at WCU’s Hattiesburg campus.