Through a unique partnership with Florida Institute of Technology and Steward Health Care, the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine is expanding its clinical education reach to Florida.
Beginning in August, medical students attending Burrell College will have the opportunity to conduct clinical rotations, or hands-on medical training, at Rockledge Regional Medical Center, Melbourne Regional Medical Center and Steward Medical Group clinics. Students will be able to select and experience among 14 medical specialties, including gastroenterology, forensic psychiatry, ophthalmology and interventional cardiology.
“We are pleased to offer our students these additional learning opportunities in Florida,” said John Hummer, president of the Burrell College. “The Space Coast of Florida and New Mexico have a long history of strong relationships and partnerships, including the establishment and success of the U.S. space programs. We are excited to see this new medical partnership come to the same fruition.”
Medical students rotating in the new Florida hub will live in off-campus housing near Florida Tech in Melbourne. Students will have access to the same services that full-time Florida Tech students receive. This includes access to the student union facilities; university libraries; athletics facilities; campus health center; meal service; outdoor aquatic center; as well as campus and community events.
“Florida Tech has for six decades seen the impact of educational excellence firsthand, so we are privileged to partner with these two leading organizations, Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine and Steward Health Care, in the education of the next generation of medical professionals,” said Florida Tech President Dwayne McCay. “We have been reminded during these troubling times of the importance of skilled physicians, and we are pleased to help strengthen the ranks of this essential field through our unified efforts.”
Forty physicians in Brevard County have signed up to supervise medical student trainees and participate in clinical rotations. Steward’s goal is to expand the pool of physician participants to 130.
“It is an honor to partner with Florida Tech and Burrell College to begin this groundbreaking medical education endeavor in Brevard County,” said Andy Romine, president of Rockledge Regional Medical Center. “It is a true testament of the strong medical staff we have at Rockledge and Melbourne Regional Medical Centers and their desire to coach and guide the next generation of physicians. One of the goals of this program is to educate these physicians locally and for them to potentially spend their careers caring for the residents of Brevard County.”
Nine students began their medical rotations in Florida on Monday, August 3. Plans are underway to host a 50 maximum of Burrell College medical students each year.
Click here to learn more about how Southern New Mexico and Florida have partnered in the past for the success of U.S. space exploration.
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About the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine:
Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine was established in 2013 to improve the health of the Southwestern U.S. and Northern Mexico. The four-year, private osteopathic medical school is student-centered, utilizing the latest medical education technologies and methods to ensure student success in all fields of medicine — from primary care to subspecialties like surgery, anesthesiology and emergency medicine. BCOM is a freestanding college with clinical training locations in New Mexico, El Paso, TX and Tucson, AZ. Learn more at bcomNM.org.
About Florida Institute of Technology:
Florida Tech was founded in 1958 at the dawn of the Space Race that would soon define the Atlantic coast of Florida and captivate the nation. Now the premier private technological university in the Southeast, Florida Tech is a Tier 1 Best National University in U.S. News & World Report and one of just nine schools in Florida lauded by the Fiske Guide to Colleges. Florida Tech is ranked among the top 5 percent of 20,000 degree-granting institutions worldwide in the 2020-21 World University Rankings and has been named a Top College and Best Value University for 2019 by Forbes. Florida Tech offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in aeronautics and aviation, engineering, computing and cybersecurity, business, science and mathematics, psychology, education and communication. Learn more about our relentless pursuit of greatness at www.fit.edu.
About Steward Health Care – Rockledge & Melbourne:
The Mission of Rockledge Regional Medical Center and Melbourne Regional Medical Center is to provide the highest quality health care with compassion and respect. Both hospitals are full acute care hospitals and includes a network of affiliates providing rehab services, wound care, laboratory services and assisted living. For more information on Rockledge Regional Medical Center or Melbourne Regional Medical Center, visit: www.Rockledgeregional.org and www.Melbourneregional.org.
About Steward Health Care:
Steward Health Care is the largest private, for-profit health care network in the United States. The company is owned and led by a management team of Steward physicians.
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Steward employs more than 40,000 health care professionals and operates 35 hospitals across the United States and in the country of Malta which regularly receive top awards for quality and safety. The Steward network includes multiple urgent care centers and skilled nursing facilities, substantial behavioral health services, more than 7,000 beds under management, and approximately 2.2 million full risk covered lives through the company’s managed care and health insurance services.
The Steward Health Care Network includes more than 5,000 physicians across 800 communities who help to provide more than 12 million patient encounters annually. Steward Medical Group, the company’s employed physician group, provides more than six million patient encounters per year. The Steward Hospital Group operates hospitals in Malta and nine states across the U.S., including Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah. For more information, visit www.steward.org.
