by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
Florida State University’s medical school wants Jacksonville’s Mayo Clinic to host a local campus, but a clinic representative gives the idea a negative prognosis.
The FSU College of Medicine wants to include Jacksonville in its growing network of satellite campuses, but says it has so far received a chilly reception from the local medical community. FSU spokesperson Doug Carlson said in a briefing paper that numerous meetings with area hospitals including Mayo have failed to produce anything beyond internship opportunities.
“We have not sensed that the medical community in Jacksonville has been eager to partner with us in training our students,” said Carlson in the memo.
FSU appealed to Jacksonville’s mayor’s office to help spur talks with local hospitals. The Mayo Clinic responded by touting its own medical school.
Jacksonville’s Mayo Clinic serves as one of three national campuses for the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. Last year, Mayo Jacksonville taught 17 of its own medical students and 20 visiting fourth-year medical students.
Mayo Jacksonville has hosted students from all of Florida’s medical schools, including FSU, said Layne Smith, director of government relations for Mayo Clinic Florida and St. Luke’s Hospital. Mayo offers in-state tuition to Florida students.
Mayo trains some fourth-year medical students from FSU. But, Smith said hosting a satellite campus would be impractical. The schools’ programs are too different, he said.
“FSU’s focus is really on family practice and on the rural, underserved folks,” said Smith. “The Mayo Clinic’s focus is primarily on the high-end stuff. For instance, we have the largest liver transplant program in the country.”
Blending the programs could cause problems for Mayo’s accreditation, said Smith.
The slow progress in Jacksonville has sent FSU looking for alternative sites. The medical school plans to open campuses in Immokalee in southwest Florida and Daytona Beach.
FSU’s medical school has regional campuses in Pensacola, Sarasota, Orlando and Tallahassee. Students receive field experience by rotating among the satellites, which each have an annual budget of about $2 million.
Daytona and Immokalee welcomed FSU. NCH Healthcare System in Naples plans to transfer to FSU a 28,000 square-foot medical center in Immokalee. The Daytona campus has been endorsed by the Halifax Medical Center, Daytona Beach Community College and Indian River Community College.
Those expansions touched off local concerns that Jacksonville might be replaced in FSU’s plans by Daytona, but Carlson said that’s not the case. FSU still has strong interest in a Jacksonville campus, he said.
The mayor’s office wants an FSU campus in Jacksonville, said spokesperson Misty Skipper. She said FSU would continue to get City Hall help in exploring local partnerships.