The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine reached out to prospective students in an information session Thursday night that emphasized a unique educational experience based on four individual value domains.
Cynda Johnson, Dean of the VTC School of Medicine, said she is excited for the opportunity to meet with prospective students.
"I am really looking forward to tonight," Johnson said. "We have not had the opportunity to advertise to students until we got accredited, which happened during the first week of June this year."
Tim Johnson, the associate dean for research for VTC, said that research is one of the four major domains of the curriculum.
"It is a four yearlong exposure to research," Tim Johnson said. "The first year is instructional, and the second, third, and fourth years are actually the practice of research."
Tim Johnson said that a part of his responsibilities would be to help students identify any areas or mentors that will lead them in their research projects.
"We are interested in developing the student's research process instead of having them produce an actual product, although they will eventually, they will produce a product of publishable quality," Tim Johnson said. "We are interested in this process to the extent that it allows them to develop these research skills and techniques."
Students will be working with mentors from Tech as well as Carilion and other affiliated institutions, Tim Johnson said.
Cynda Johnson said the four domains of VTC separate the medical school from others around the country.
"We have (VTC) based on four value domains, which are basic and clinical science, inter-professionalism and research," Cynda Johnson said. "Those four foundations are integrated through all four years of the medical, so it is not split up into little pieces, so from day one we will be integrating and putting together clinical and basic science and teaching on a case-based method."
Tim Johnson said that students are going to work on the same project throughout all of their time at VTC.
"They will not really have their project created and out the door until sometime during the fourth year," Tim Johnson said. "All of our students will be placed with very competent mentors and very accomplished laboratories, but their impact on the overall theme of things will be seen as the conclusion of their research project."
James Sherman, VTC associate dean for student affairs, said that the majority of students who go to medical school have a science background so they may see that their research is very similar to their undergraduate degree.
"I also think that we are going to have students from quite varied backgrounds such as theatre, education, and perhaps music apply as well, so those people may not choose to do a science-related topic, but instead are coming to medical school with a different focus," Sherman said. "A different research focus could be in patient safety, quality improvement or education."
Cynda Johnson said she has high hopes for the first class of VTC.
"I hope that it is a class that will reflect the work that we have put into designing the school and make a reality those things that we have in our head," Cynda Johnson said. "I hope for the students that they become life long learners and that they have fun in medical school."
Cynda Johnson added that the journey to complete the VTC School of Medicine has been "remarkably fun."
"It has been fun and challenging that every step of the way we had to invent," Cynda Johnson said. "Some parts were harder to create than others and those were the challenges, but that also has been the fun part. Every time that we met any kind of challenge that was really difficult to get to the next step, the strong leadership at Virginia Tech and Carilion helped us through, so we had undying support all along the way."
Sherman added that people who come to a brand new medical is interested in being a part of something new.
"Everyone who is here is essentially an innovator and is interested in bringing their best of their backgrounds to the new school," Sherman said.
Cynda Johnson said she hopes the first class will be comprised of a diverse group of students.
"I think there will be students who have had a broad life experience and who resonated with the whole idea that they would work and learn in teams," Cynda Johnson said. "I think that when our students are looked at, compared to other medical schools across the country, I think our school and students will be seen as a strong academic school."