In 2009, the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville‘s campus was just a shell, according to the school’s dean, Dr. Marjorie Jenkins.
Now it’s a full-fledged medical school with the majority of graduates staying in South Carolina.
Jenkins was the featured guest at the Upstate S.C. Alliance Coffee & Conversation. Hosted on June 20 at the school, the event was a chance to show off the school’s growing impact on the community and the local economy. Since the first class of 48 graduated in 2012, the school has contributed $500 million to the local economy. Over the next decade, it’s projected to contribute nearly $1 billion.
“We are the best-kept secret,” Jenkins said.
As the only public medical school that is entirely privately funded, Jenkins said the school shows the benefit of public-private partnerships. Prisma Health funded the startup for the school to obtain legislative approval to be the state’s third medical school.
The school was badly needed, Jenkins said, as South Carolina — and many other states — are short on primary care physicians. The Palmetto State alone is short about 800, she said.
As the school grows, Jenkins said, a major goal is to mirror the demographics of the state. The school has steadily added minority students over the past four years, with the class of 2026 consisting of 28 students of color out of the approximately 100 to 110 students in the class.
“We’re passionate about increasing the diversity of our student body,” Jenkins said. “It may be the most diverse medical school in South Carolina.”
Technology tour de force
The school’s building is three stories, with some of the most modern technology available to students. It’s one of only five med schools that have been named an Apple Distinguished School, a distinction that honors only the most cutting-edge educational institutions.
A walk through the school reveals the leaps medical-education technology has made in recent years. The school offers a large anatomy lab with touch-screen devices at every station. There are 3D printers that can produce artificial limbs and many medical mannequins that can simulate everything from pregnancy complications to severe trauma. Each lecture room is outfitted with screens, cameras and everything needed for virtual presentations.
As of now, the school has 20 residency programs, 10 fellowships and 300 residents. Eventually, Jenkins said she is hoping for a dermatology fellowship.
Most importantly for South Carolinians, as many as 75% of the students are staying in-state following graduation, she said.
“We don’t want to leak that talent out,” Jenkins said.
And it makes sense for students to enroll from South Carolina — the tuition is $45,000 per year for in-state students, compared to the $90,000 a year for out-of-state students.
The problem now is ensuring the state has the pipeline of students who are ready for medical school.
“We’re not going out there and telling them they can’t go to medical school,” Jenkins said.
USC School of Medicine Greenville history
- 2009: Discussions address the possibility of opening an undergraduate medical school at Greenville Hospital System. The discussions also include the possibility of a four-year school.
- 2010: Trustees with USC and GHS develop a comprehensive plan for a school of medicine in Greenville.
- 2011: School is granted preliminary accreditation.
- 2012: The school matriculated its inaugural class in the fall of 2012.
- 2015: The school received full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, an accrediting body for educational programs at schools of medicine in the United States and Canada.
- 2016: Charter class celebrated a 100% residency rate and became the first to graduate.
