Wichita’s downtown medical school given go-ahead to recruit students for August 2022
The Kansas Health Science Center - Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine has been granted permission to start recruiting students for its first classes.
School officials announced Monday that their pre-accreditation status was approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.
Construction on the 116,000-square-foot medical school is expected to wrap up by the end of the year so the first class of students can begin in August 2022. Final accreditation won’t come until after that first class graduates.
“Achieving pre-accreditation for our Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine allows us to begin to address the state’s physician shortage while simultaneously addressing other issues affecting population health,” KHSC President Tiffany Masson said in a news release.
“As a nonprofit institution, our goal is to make an immediate and lasting impact on the health of all Kansas communities.”
A 2019 study published by the Association of American Medical Colleges found that the U.S. will face a shortage of up to nearly 122,000 physicians by 2032.
The news release says KHSC anticipates an inaugural class of 85 students in the four-year program but that the college will eventually be able to support classes of 170.
According to the college’s website, prospective students can expect to pay $55,000 in tuition per academic year, as well as $2,500 in fees.
Admission interviews will begin in late January and conclude in April, the website says.
The medical school will anchor pharmacist-turned-developer Sudha Tokala’s downtown education complex, which will also include WSU Tech’s culinary school, a 119-apartment student housing facility and a 119-room AC Marriott Hotel.
Last month, the Wichita City Council approved project extensions for all three buildings besides KHSC.
The city has invested millions of dollars in Tokala’s project in the form of IRBs, tax abatements and other incentives, as well as asbestos removal and facade improvement costs.
This story was originally published December 13, 2021 at 2:51 PM.