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Series 8 University of Florida, College of Medicine, Series 8a PIMS Program in
Medical Sciences; LCME Accreditation Materials; 1975-2000 - Program in Medical
Sciences (PIMS)
Physical Description: 2.5 linear feet (6 boxes)
Arrangement note: Material was arranged chronologically in binders, and was placed
in boxes in that order.
Agency note: The College of Medicine opened its doors to students in 1956, under
the administration of Dr. George T. Harrell. Dr. Harrell was a visionary who
had a sense of history and the past of medical education, as well as goals for
future developments. The Program in Medical Sciences was established in 1971
by Dean Emanuel Suter and supported through a Special Projects Grant under the
Health Professions Educational Improvement Program. The concept for this program
was innovative. It proposed an inter-institutional approach to medical education,
rather than the establishment of a new medical school. The original proposal
was written by Dean Suter and Paul R. Elliott, Ph.D., who became the first Director
of the PIMS. The inter-institutional approach was possible because the material
presented during the first year of medical school could be learned in a College
of Arts and Sciences, and required no physician faculty. The program was also
made possible because at the time of its initiation, the University of Florida
College of Medicine in Gainesville had a unique curriculum, the Phase A, B, and
C curriculum. In this curriculum, students took an abbreviated version of all
basic science courses during Phase A, which occurred during approximately the
first year of medical school. They then entered the clinical clerkships during
their second year in what was called Phase B, and then their last two years were
a mixture of basic science and clinical electives called Phase C. Students admitted
to the PIMS started their first year in May, rather than September, and transferred
to the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville for their last
three years of medical school. When the Phase A, B, and C curriculum was replaced
with a more traditional curriculum, the University of Florida and Florida State
made the necessary changes to keep the PIMS a viable initiative.
Eventually the program was structured such that the first year of basic medical
science courses was spent at FSU and the remaining three years were completed
at the University of Florida College of Medicine. The students selected for
PIMS began their first year of medical education in May in a program that attempted
to attract students interested in primary health care who might be interested
in practicing in underserved Florida communities. PIMS involved an early application
process open to outstanding students at FSU, FAMU and the University of West
Florida, who were Florida residents. Applicants were expected to show a commitment
to community service.The original PIMS was an inter-institutional program between
the Universities of Florida, Florida State, and Florida A & M. Later in
its existence, the University of West Florida was included, and students were
accepted
from other universities, predominantly the University of Florida in Gainesville.
The hoped for goals were to attract qualified students from rural communities,
more minority students, and to produce primary care physicians who would practice
in rural Florida. The first class of 5 students started in 1971 and transferred
to the University of Florida College of Medicine in 1972. Over the years the
program grew to 30 students each year. The PIMS was an innovative program,
one that could be judged as highly successful, undoubtedly the best inter-institutional
educational program in the history of the State of Florida. It ended in 2001
with the establishment of a new medical school at Florida State University.
Folder Listing:
Box 1
1970s
1990-1994
Box 2
1994-1998
Box 3
1998-1999
Box 4
1999
Box 5
1999-2000
Box 6
2000
PIMS Miscellaneous
Publication: Funding a Second Year of Medical School at the Program in Medical
Sciences at Florida State University, March 25, 1998