In partnership with Midwestern University’s Glendale campus, Verde Valley Medical Center is providing learning opportunities to third and fourth year medical students.

“We are so pleased to be able to send our students to Verde Valley Medical Center, one of the premier hospitals in Arizona,” said Howard Shulman, D.O., associate dean for Postdoctoral Education at Midwestern University, the largest medical school in the state. “We look forward to continuing and expanding our partnership into the future.”

The students rotate throughout the hospital on a monthly basis, and perform histories and physicals, consultations and minor medical procedures under the direct supervision of members of the VVMC Medical Staff.

A Hands-on Opportunity

Joshua Gibbons, one of the Midwestern surgical students said, “I am really enjoying my time here at VVMC. Every morning, surgeries for the day are listed, and I’ve been able to choose the type of surgery in which I’d like to participate. There have been cases in orthopedics and vascular—even an emergency surgery. The physicians and staff are so welcoming and helpful—this is one of the most useful, productive and positive educational experiences I’ve had to date.”

Medical students must complete four years of undergraduate study, the first two of which are classroom-based, followed by two years of clinical study in hospitals and/or physician offices. Students choose a specialty before moving on to a residency program, which can last three to seven years, after which they are eligible to take state boards to become certified as a medical doctor (M.D.) or doctor of osteopathy (D.O.).

According to Hu A. Blake, II, M.D., chair of the department of Surgery of the VVMC Medical Staff, “When I originally was asked to be coordinator for the surgical students, it was my understanding there occasionally would be one student rotating through. Instead, the program has taken off, and the students are here on a regular basis. They are excited, helpful, willing to take call and come in for emergencies. The students’ excitement has, in turn, generated excitement among the members of the Medical Staff, who are really enjoying the chance to teach. It enhances our own capabilities and reminds us of why we decided to go into medicine. It’s a win-win situation.”