The Commonwealth Medical College

The Commonwealth Medical College
Motto Together, we will change the future.
Type Private
Established 2008
Parent institution
 Geisinger Health System
Dean Steven J. Scheinman, MD
Alumni 337
Academic staff
 900+
Administrative staff
 125
Students 440
Location Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport, Sayre, Pennsylvania, USA
Campus
  • North Campus: Scranton, PA 18509
  • South Campus: Wilkes-Barre, PA 18764
  • West Campus: Williamsport, PA 17701
  • Guthrie Campus: Sayre, PA 18840
Nickname TCMC
Affiliations AAMC
Website tcmc.edu

The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC) is an independent medical school located in northeast and north central Pennsylvania that offers a community-based model of medical education with four regional campuses - North (Scranton), South (Wilkes-Barre), West (Williamsport), and Guthrie (Sayre). The College attracts students from within its 17-county region as well as across Pennsylvania and the nation who are interested in studying evidence- and community-based medicine and who have a strong desire to serve their community. TCMC offers a Doctor of Medicine (MD) Program and a Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) Program.[1] On September 28, 2016, it was announced that the Geisinger Health System is acquiring TCMC, pending the approval of government and accrediting agencies, to form the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.[2][3]

Mission

The Commonwealth Medical College educates aspiring physicians and scientists to serve society using a community-based, patient-centered, interprofessional and evidence-based model of education that is committed to inclusion, promotes discovery and utilizes innovative techniques.[4]

History

The foundation of TCMC began with the establishment of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Medical Education Development Consortium (MEDC) in 2004. The consortium included business, medical, community, and government representatives. After acquiring funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania, and other state, federal and private philanthropic sources, the Commonwealth Medical Education Corporation was formed. In the spring of 2007, Robert M. D’Alessandri, MD, began his tenure as president and founding dean.

The College was awarded degree-granting authority by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 2008, received preliminary accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) in 2008. Dr. D'Alessandri resigned from his position as dean and president in April 2011 "to pursue other opportunities".[5] In June 2011, the LCME placed TCMC on probation in lieu of financial difficulties.[6] Provisional accreditation was granted in 2012, with full accreditation granted in June 2014.[7] In June 2014, TCMC was also granted full accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).[8] TCMC accepted its first class of medical and master's students in 2009. TCMC graduated its first MD and fourth MBS classes in May 2013.[9]

In April 2011, TCMC opened the 185,000 square foot Medical Sciences Building in Scranton that houses the academic and research programs. The College has administrative and educational space in Williamsport and in Wilkes-Barre at affiliated hospitals. Overall, the school has relationships with over 25 hospitals in northeast and north central Pennsylvania which provide learning environments for the students.

On September 28, 2016, Geisinger Health System announced it has acquired The Commonwealth Medical College. The acquisition will integrate aspects of the health system, such as the residency training program, into TCMC, and also introduce new Master's programs to generate revenue. Additionally, TCMC will be renamed Geisinger Commonwealth Medical College.[10]

Admissions and Academics

The Class of 2020 had an average MCAT score of 30 and GPA of 3.62 at admission. 12% of the class is from groups historically underrepresented in medicine, and 71% of the 108 students that comprise the class are from Pennsylvania. 29% of the class is specifically from Northeastern Pennsylvania and North Central Pennsylvania.[11]

Curriculum

Community-based medical school.

TCMC partners with more than 25 hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout the 17-county region.[12] Students are engaged in early clinical experiences from the first day of medical school by shadowing community physicians in their offices and participating in community health research and quality improvement projects. In years one and two, students build relationships with doctors, healthcare professionals, and patients in the community.[13] The school has the commitment of more than 900 volunteer clinical faculty members and the patients, families, and residents of the community.[14]

The school is among the first United States medical schools to adopt the Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) model as the standard clinical experience for the entire medical school class in the third year. This allows students to follow a panel of patients over the course of a year. Students live in the community and train with clinical preceptors in the different core disciplines of family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, OB/GYN and general surgery. The key difference is the year-long curriculum as opposed to traditional “block” clinical rotations.[15]

The school also offers an accelerated one year MBS program designed to help students strengthen their credentials and candidacy for acceptance into medical and health professional schools.[16]

Students have volunteered more than 19,864 hours to date with nearly 95 organizations in the region. They have completed more than 149 community health research and quality improvement projects with community organizations in the 17-county region. The school's REACH-HEI program partners with community educational partners to mentor high school students from economically disadvantaged families.[17]

Accreditation

The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC), like most other colleges and universities, participates in accreditation and other programs where peer organizations evaluate programs and operations to assist the college in continuous improvement. In addition, TCMC has undergone an application and review process by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to be given “degree-granting authority” by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The first step in these processes for TCMC was to receive degree-granting authority from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). This authority was received in April, 2008 and allowed the College to accept students for the Masters of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree programs.

TCMC received “preliminary” accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) in October 2008. In June 2012, TCMC received "provisional" accreditation. In July 2014, TCMC received full accreditation by the LCME. This certifies that TCMC’s MD degree meets national standards for structure and function.

In June 2014, The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) granted TCMC full accreditation. To earn and maintain full accreditation, colleges and universities must demonstrate to colleagues from peer institutions that they meet or surpass mutually agreed-upon standards.[18]

TCMC has also been approved by the United States Department of Education for participation in the Title IV Federal Direct Student Loan Program.

President and Dean

Steven J. Scheinman, MD, joined TCMC in September 2012 as president and dean. He was formerly professor of medicine and pharmacology at SUNY Upstate Medical University, where he was had served for eight years as its senior vice president and dean of the College of Medicine.

Board-certified in internal medicine and nephrology, Dr. Scheinman has earned international prominence for his research into the genetics of inherited kidney diseases and kidney stones.

He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, and book chapters on topics related to kidney disease and genetics. For most of his career he was principal investigator on grants funded by the NIH, American Heart Association, and other agencies. He has been an invited speaker at numerous national and international meetings and a visiting professor at many prominent universities across the United States and abroad.[19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Commonwealth Medical College - About TCMC". tcmc.edu. 2014-06-17. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  2. ↑ "Geisinger Health System to acquire TCMC • TCMC". TCMC. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
  3. ↑ "Geisinger to Take Over The Commonwealth Medical College". WNEP.com. 2016-09-28. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
  4. ↑ "The Commonwealth Medical College - Mission Statement and Values". tcmc.edu. 2014-06-17. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  5. ↑ Hall, Sarah (2011-04-08). "D'Alessandri out as medical school president". newspaper. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  6. ↑ Nissley, Erin (2011-06-15). "Commonwealth Medical College now on probation". Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  7. ↑ "Medical School Directory". lcme.org. 2014-07-07. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
  8. ↑ "Accreditation • TCMC". TCMC. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  9. ↑ "TCMC graduates first doctors today". thetimes-tribune.com/. 2014-06-17. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  10. ↑ "Geisinger Health System to acquire TCMC". tcmc.edu. 2016-09-28. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  11. ↑ "Class of 2020 Class Profile".
  12. ↑ "The Commonwealth Medical College - Regional Campuses". tcmc.edu. 2014-04-01. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  13. ↑ "The Commonwealth Medical College - MD Program". tcmc.edu. 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  14. ↑ "The Commonwealth Medical College - Volunteer Clinical Faculty". tcmc.edu. 2013-09-18. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  15. ↑ "The Commonwealth Medical College - Year 3 MD Curriculum". tcmc.edu. 2013-08-14. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  16. ↑ "The Commonwealth Medical College - Master of Biomedical Sciences Program". tcmc.edu. 2014-03-19. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  17. ↑ "The Commonwealth Medical College - The Regional Education Academy for Careers in Health – Higher Education Initiative (REACH-HEI)". tcmc.edu. 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  18. ↑ "The Commonwealth Medical College - Accreditation". tcmc.edu. 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  19. ↑ "The Commonwealth Medical College - Meet the Dean". tcmc.edu. 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2014-06-17.

Coordinates: 41°24′47″N 75°39′21″W / 41.41312°N 75.65586°W / 41.41312; -75.65586

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