How embarrassing is it to have our state's flagship university's medical campus located in the most dangerous city in the country according to Wallet Hub. Or even more so the 10th most dangerous city in the world according to another ranking. Memphis is the only city in North America and Europe to be ranked in the Top 10 worldwide. I guess the only positive to being in Memphis would be for an aspiring student wanting to be a Trauma/Emergency Room specialist. They certainly would obtain a lot of OJT in Memphis.
Why would anybody that has been accepted at some of our peer state university med schools go to Memphis? Crime would be enough to keep a great majority saying, "Thanks, but no thanks." Accepted at the University of Kentucky, you want to live in Lexington or Memphis.
How about South Carolina, Columbia or Memphis. This one really hurts, the University of Alabama, Birmingham or Memphis. I know we have many superbly qualified med students in Memphis, but how many do we lose because they don't want to live with their families in the most dangerous city in the country?
Memphis is almost as bad in education for the kids of those who would attend med school. Despite spending as much as any system in the state ($13,097 per student) with the exception of Nashville Metro, Memphis schools are ranked Number 87 out of 137 districts by Niche. Before you ask, Hamilton spends $11,841 per student and is ranked Number 41. Looks like our people are doing pretty well with what they have.
Where would be a perfect location for the med school? Well, UTC already has a highly ranked nursing and physical therapy curriculum. Siskin is ranked third nationally for their physical rehab programs. CHI Memorial is consistently ranked in the Top 2 or 3 hospitals in the state. Could you envision turning 3rd Street into a medical corridor anchored at one end by Siskin, T.C. Thompson Childrens Hospital and Erlanger and at the other end CHI Memorial with the med school campus smack dab in the middle?
UTK and UTC have highly ranked programs in business and engineering. Why not a medical school in Chattanooga?
Douglas Jones