Leaders of the state's medical school say its new facility could help solve in the state's doctor shortage. MPB's Alexis Ware reports.
"Lot's of us are from here and plan on staying here going back to our hometowns and practicing."
John Lippincott of Tupelo is a fourth year medical student at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He says the new school will help better prepare students to help Mississippians.
"Hopefully this school will be able to create more doctors to can go out across the state and be able to take care of everybody."
Governor Phil Bryant says bringing in more doctors remains his goal to help deal with the state's doctor shortage.
"You go from being able to graduate about 140 doctors to 165 and so cumulatively that will help us reach an additional thousand physicians ny 2025 which has been my goal for the last decade to work towards that more physicians that will be able to go into more rural areas and provide healthcare that's lacking now."
Previously, the medical students did not have a centralized location for classes. The building now includes classrooms, labs, study rooms and lounges. Students will have access simulation hospital rooms, which allow students to work with mannequins that closely function like real people.
Dr. LouAnn Woodward is the Dean of the School of Medicine.
"One of the very important elements in planning this building and planning for the future is flexibility flexible space, so that 20, 30, 40, 50 years from now this building is just as functional as it is today."
155 incoming students will begin classes in the new facility this month.
