In a joint press release with the Big Sky Economic Development (BSED), Rocky Vista University (RVU) announced this week that it had chosen a site in Billings as the proposed location for a four-year medical school.
This would be the first four-year medical school in the state of Montana. The proposed campus will house a 135,000 square foot facility on a 12-acre campus on the southwest corner of Monad and Shiloh roads once completed. It will be RVU’s third facility, including a campus in Utah and the original campus in Parker, Colorado. Beginning with 80 students in 2023, they hope to serve up to 160 students within a few years. The school is estimated to provide 350 jobs and add more than $1.2 million in tax revenue to the area.
RVU President and CEO, Dr. Clint Adams said, “Montana is a natural fit for RVU and our regional focus on healthcare education, and we are so excited by the prospect of bringing a RVU campus to Billings. We were impressed with the quality of the healthcare system in Montana and look forward to helping meet the need for graduate medical education opportunities for students in Montana and across the region.” The choice to come to Montana was motivated by the fact that Montana ranks 44th in the country for the number of primary care physicians, and more than 25% of the population live in rural areas with insufficient health care professionals. While RVU graduates pursue the full spectrum of medical specialties, the majority choose primary care, and many of them practice in underserved and rural areas, making it a perfect fit for the state of Montana.
Local clinics are currently exploring the development of clinical rotations for 3rd and 4th year students beginning in 2025. The facility will also provide opportunities for current physicians to participate in teaching and research, which, it is hoped, may encourage medical students to remain in the area after they graduate. “The time could not be more critical. Growing Montana’s healthcare workforce at the physician level, with a focus on primary care and rural medicine, is essential to continued healthcare delivery. A medical school of the caliber of RVU helps us lean into our already robust medical sector and reinforce Billings as the regional hub for world class healthcare,” said Big Sky Economic Development Executive Director, Steve Arveschoug.
David Park, the current dean at the Utah campus, will oversee the project and serve as the Vice President and Founding Dean of the proposed Montana College of Osteopathic Medicine. RVU is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), Higher Learning Commission, Accreditation Review Commission for the Physician Assistant, and the American College of Surgeons. RVU has demonstrated excellent student outcomes since inception and has a 100% residency placement rate.
For additional information about Rocky Vista University visit www.rvu.edu.
