Jeff Castner on Marian University’s New Medical School

Jeff Castner is very excited because the 2013 School year marked the first class of Marian University’s Medical School. Announced in 2010, the medical school is aimed at Osteopathic Medicine in an attempt to fill the growing gap of primary care physicians. Jeff Castner knows that many rural areas in Indiana are suffering from not having enough primary care physicians and the states only other medical school, Indiana University, sends less than 50% of its graduates into the primary care field.

Jeff Castner understands that Marian University has increased its number of enrolled students and even with the efflux from both Marian University and Indiana University, Indiana still faces a shortage of 2,000 primary care physicians just in the next year alone. AS the demographics of Indiana continue to change it is going to be even more essential that primary care providers are trained.

Another issue is that many students leaving high school or who graduate with their undergraduate degrees are having to make the decision to leave their home state because there was just not enough room at IU to teach them all. Many of those students would rather stay home and attend an in-state university. Now many more will have that opportunity.

Jeff Castner knows that while the school only has provisional accreditation, and can currently have a class size of 150 students, the final accreditation should be given soon. In fact assuming that all Commission on Osteopathic Accreditation standards are met, Marian’s Medical school will receive full accreditation in 2017.