Welcome to Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) with campuses located in Macon, Savannah and Columbus, Georgia. Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) is the graduate medical school of Mercer University. It was founded in Macon, GA in 1982, and as of 2008 has expanded to include an additional site in Savannah, GA, with either site allowing students to complete all four requisite years of medical training. In 2012, MUSM developed a third site in Columbus, GA at which students may elect to complete their third and fourth years of training. Mercer University School of Medicine adopts a mission that is heavily directed towards training future physicians to practice in the State of Georgia, and as such, prospective matriculants must be Georgia residents.

The Mission of the school is to educate physicians and health professionals to meet the primary care and health care needs of rural and medically underserved areas of Georgia. Mercer has been extremely successful fulfilling our Mission. As of October 2010, 1064 students have graduated from MUSM of those 288 are still in residency training programs. Currently there are 776 graduates in practice and 489 or 63% are practicing in the State of Georgia which is the best retention rate of any Georgia medical school. Greater than 70% of our graduates entered into primary care residencies. Based on data from the American Association of Family Physicians’ Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care (2010) Mercer ranks 2nd in the nation for graduates practicing in low-income areas of the school’s home state; it ranks 3rd in the nation for graduates practicing in rural areas of home state and entering primary care in home state.

The Macon campus was founded in 1982 and is on the campus of Mercer University. The Savannah campus opened as a full four year campus in 2008 and is on the campus of Memorial University Medical Center. Students enrolled in the Doctor of Medicine program on both campuses experience the same curriculum. Preclinically, Mercer offers an integrated, clinically relevant problem-based medical education program that includes a longitudinal clinical skills curriculum a strong community medicine program and early patient care experiences. Such an academic environment fosters the early development of clinical problem-solving and instills in each student an appreciation of the importance of basic medical sciences in medical practice. Following their second year, students participate in core clinical clerkships at the School's primary teaching hospitals: Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, and The Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital in Columbus. Clinically, the curriculum is delivered in traditional clerkships utilizing both hospital and ambulatory settings. Students participate in a primary care preceptorship in communities throughout the state as part of the community medicine curriculum. In addition there is ample opportunity for students to participate in primary care and subspecialty clinical electives to broaden their educational experience. The small class size makes possible a close and collegial student/faculty relationship, individualized attention, and supportive atmosphere that enables every student to realize their potential for learning.

History

Mercer University was founded in 1833 in Penfield by Georgia Baptists. The school, under the leadership of Baptist minister and spiritual father Adiel Sherwood, was named for Jesse Mercer, a prominent Baptist leader and the first chair of the Mercer Board of Trustees.

Josiah Penfield gave the $2,500 that prompted the Georgia Baptist Convention to begin plans to open a school. Many Georgia Baptists gave matching funds for Penfield’s gift. The school opened under principal Billington Sanders.

Initially a boys' preparatory school named "Mercer Institute," the school at its founding consisted of a red clay farm and two hewed log cabins, valued at approximately $1,935. Enrollment for the first term was 39 students although, when the school opened, there were considerably fewer and others came over the first few weeks. Tuition was $35 for the year. Board was provided at $8 per month, and each student was required to supply his own bedding, candles and furniture.

From its humble beginnings in Penfield, Mercer today is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University has more than 8,200 students; 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies; major campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah; three regional academic centers around the state; a university press; two teaching hospitals; educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta; an engineering research center in Warner Robins; a performing arts center in Macon; and a NCAA Division I athletic program.

The institution’s reputation for exceptional academics in an engaged learning environment continues to grow. For almost two decades, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Mercer among the leading universities in the South. The Princeton Review repeatedly ranks it in the top 10 percent of all colleges and universities in North America. The University has been named a “College with a Conscience” by The Princeton Review and College Compact and has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for distinguished community service. Mercer has also earned a Community Engagement classification by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Academic Programs

In addition to the Doctor of Medicine degree offered by MUSM, a number of other degree programs are available through this institution: PhD in Medical Clinical Psychology

• M.S. in Biomedical Sciences
• M.S. in Preclinical Sciences
• Master of Family Therapy
• Master of Public Health
• M.S. in Anesthesia

Teaching Affiliates and Hospitals

Mercer Medicine
Mercer Medicine is the clinical component of the Mercer University School of Medicine through which faculty physicians of Internal and Family Medicine provide medical care to patients, while supporting a clinical learning environment for Mercer University medical students.

Medical Center of Central Georgia

The Medical Center of Central Georgia (MCCG) is located in Macon, GA and is the primary clinical site at which third and fourth year MUSM students in Macon complete their clinical training. This hospital is a teaching facility, and trains residents in five ACGME accredited programs: Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, OB/GYN, Pediatrics, and General Surgery. As of 1988, MCCG became the fourth hospital in the state of Georgia to function as a Level 1 Trauma Center.

Memorial University Medical Center

The Memorial University Medical Center is the affiliated hospital and medical training site for MUSM students in Savannah, GA. Memorial Hospital also allows for completion of six distinct ACGME accredited residencies: Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, OB/GYN, Pediatrics, General Surgery, and Diagnostic Radiology. Like MCCG, Memorial Hospital serves as a Level 1 Trauma Center. Memorial Hospital has received praise for its positive work environment: most notably in 2007 when it was named one of Fortune magazine's "Top 100 Best Companies to Work For".

Student Life

Mercer University School of Medicine is well known around the larger Macon campus for sporting successful intramural teams. In 2012, for the first time in school history, the MS1s won both the competitive soccer league and the flag football league. Both teams were captained by Trenton Dittmer who, as quarterback, led 55 yard drive down the field in the last seconds of the championship game to beat the third year law school team.