I occasionally mention in this column and other places that as the state’s only academic medical center, we are unique in many, many ways. Today, I’ll highlight some items of note related to our academic mission area.
You may have noticed more activity last week with the School of Medicine and the School of Dentistry starting classes – but they aren’t the first ones to welcome a new class each year. Right as summer begins, students in the School of Health Related Professions and the School of Nursing start their academic year. There are few, if any, other universities that start classes that early, other than for a summer session. Some programs in our schools won’t start classes until later this month. We’re unique in that we have such staggered starts, essentially over a three-month span.
Enrollment is strong and growing. We won’t have official numbers for the current academic year for another couple of months, but we expect to be at or above previous years. What isn’t expressed when our student count is announced in the annual IHL press release is the number of affiliated students who train in our facilities – more than 1,000 every year! These are health science students enrolled at other colleges and universities who do advanced training in our facilities, mostly related to patient care but also in research and institutional service areas. Some of the affiliated students learning/training with us are from all over the country. Additionally, throughout the year, we host around 370 educational observers temporarily, including high school students, who gain exposure to various health science careers. The impact of our instructors and other UMMC faculty and staff on these students expands our reach across Mississippi beyond our own graduates.
Our six schools host 46 degree and certification programs, and some of them are split into different tracks, so the number of paths our students can take is even higher. And if you include our residency and fellowship programs, the collective number of academic pursuits of our students and trainees is astounding.
Interest in, and demand for, our degree programs are at all-time highs. For the fall 2024 incoming classes, the admissions teams in our schools processed 2,874 applications. Roughly 50% of those applicants received an offer of admission, of which 86% enrolled into one of our programs. The number who enrolled, 1,096, was 36% of the total number who applied. It takes a lot of work to evaluate these applicants and transition them to UMMC students who meet the qualifications we feel are necessary for success in our programs and in a future career. These processes are part of the reason our students rank high in national benchmarks and gravitate toward being leaders in their fields.
Everything I’ve shared here wouldn’t matter if our students weren’t getting a top-notch education and experience. Our most recent student survey results show that we are hitting, and often exceeding, the mark on both of those points. Of the nearly 65% of students who responded to the survey, 93% of them say they are satisfied with their academics and 96% of them who experience clinical learning say they are satisfied with those environments. Wow. These percentages are testaments to the work and dedication of our faculty and clinical instructors. The survey also highlighted the fact that students are satisfied with academics-related service areas like the library, enrollment management and counseling services. The results of this survey will lead to changes and/or initiatives to enhance the student experience. We are doing great, but there’s always room for improvement.
We are, at our core, a place of learning. Nearly everything ties back to our academic mission and, as the state’s only academic medical center and largest producer of health science professionals, we are always looking to strengthen our academic programs in ways that help us – and other health care-related organizations – in our pursuit of A Healthier Mississippi.
Enrollment is strong and growing. We won’t have official numbers for the current academic year for another couple of months, but we expect to be at or above previous years. What isn’t expressed when our student count is announced in the annual IHL press release is the number of affiliated students who train in our facilities – more than 1,000 every year! These are health science students enrolled at other colleges and universities who do advanced training in our facilities, mostly related to patient care but also in research and institutional service areas. Some of the affiliated students learning/training with us are from all over the country. Additionally, throughout the year, we host around 370 educational observers temporarily, including high school students, who gain exposure to various health science careers. The impact of our instructors and other UMMC faculty and staff on these students expands our reach across Mississippi beyond our own graduates.