Creating an Adjunct Medical School for Primary Care Doctors
Maria Mirasol Paulino, MD1, Monica Santos, DO1, Kieran M. O’ Driscoll, MD1, Brian Francis Gilchrist, MD1*, Nelson Menezes, MD1
1The Brooklyn Hospital Center, 121 DeKalb Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA.
*Corresponding Author: Brian Francis Gilchrist, MD, Chief, Pediatric Surgery, The Brooklyn Hospital Center, 121 DeKalb Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58624/SVOAMR.2026.04.014
Received: April 23, 2026
Published: June 26, 2026
Citation: Paulino MM, Santos M, O’Driscoll KM, Gilchrist BF, Menezes N. Creating an Adjunct Medical School for Primary Care Doctors. SVOA Medical Research 2026, 4:3, 136-139. doi: 10.58624/SVOAMR.2026.04.014
Abstract
The United States faces a projected shortage of approximately 86,000 physicians by 2036, with the greatest impact in primary care and underserved regions. Concurrently, many qualified applicants are excluded from medical training due to limited enrollment rather than academic ability. Advances in broadband technology, online education, and modern anatomical teaching tools provide an opportunity to redesign medical education. We propose a hybrid medical school model placed within a tertiary teaching hospital. The program would recruit experienced healthcare professionals (e.g., nurses, paramedics, and corpsmen) and deliver preclinical education through online platforms and plasticized anatomical models, with clinical training conducted in hospital-based rotations. This scalable approach leverages existing infrastructure, reduces capital costs, and expands physician workforce capacity. The model aims to improve primary care training while addressing workforce shortages in underserved areas.
Keywords: Physician Workforce Shortage, Hybrid Medical Education, Primary Care Training, Online Medical Education