Bowling Green Campus
The University of Kentucky College of Medicine-Bowling Green Campus opened its newly-constructed state-of-the-art facility in 2018 in a partnership with Western Kentucky University (WKU) and Med Center Health. The partnership makes it possible for medical students to access a full range of student services and activities at WKU while enjoying the same curriculum as the University of Kentucky’s medical campus in Lexington. Students take part in a combination of interactive learning and on-site classes, emphasizing collaborative interactions, individual attention, and early clinical experiences. The Bowling Green Campus offers a number of combined degree programs.
Dreams to Doctors: The Story of the UK College of Medicine-Bowling Green Campus
About the Campus
Bowling Green Campus
The UK College of Medicine Bowling Green Campus welcomed its first class in the fall of 2018 with a new 24,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility. The facility houses multiple classrooms, study rooms, a high-fidelity simulation area, a computer lab, and simulated patient exam rooms. The incredible student lounge is positioned in the front of the building allowing natural light into the space throughout the day. The lounge has a kitchen area, relaxation and meeting spaces, as well as six flat-screen televisions. The lounge hosts a number of events where students, faculty, and staff gather to celebrate important milestones during the academic year.
Student Life
Located in the state’s third-largest city, the UK College of Medicine Bowling Green Campus offers students a small-town experience while nestled in a growing, diverse community. The regional campus provides students in western Kentucky with the same integration of basic and clinical sciences, interactive lectures and labs, and research opportunities as their Lexington and Northern Kentucky College of Medicine counterparts.
Students at the Bowling Green Campus have started a variety of interest groups, including an American Medical Association medical student chapter. Clinical rotations, which take place during the third and fourth years of training, allow students to interact directly with practicing physicians, strengthening their clinical skills and fostering a commitment to team-based care.
Given its proximity to Western Kentucky University, students also enjoy access to WKU’s Preston Athletic Center, as well as the opportunity to attend lectures and cultural events and participate in student organizations. Just minutes from campus are local coffee shops, the National Corvette Museum, and an abundance of cave and cavern systems to explore, such as Mammoth Cave National Park or Lost River Cave.
Clinical Partner
Through its partnership with Med Center Health (MCH), the UK College of Medicine provides students with a variety of educational opportunities.
The Medical Center at Bowling Green, the flagship hospital of MCH, is an acute care hospital offering comprehensive services, including the only open-heart surgery program in the area, and boasts an accredited chest pain center with PCI. It is certified as a primary stroke center, has a comprehensive cancer center, a surgical weight loss program, neuroscience services, and obstetrics and neonatology.
Additionally, MCH operates the Medical Centers at Scottsville and Franklin, which are critical access hospitals that provide vital health care services to those who live in more remote areas.
Together, these facilities offer 387 acute care beds, 100 extended care beds, and provide patients access to more than 50 specialties.
Hear From Students
“The Bowling Green Campus provides the opportunity for students to build personal relationships with administrators, local physicians, and other medical students that are at different stages of medical school. I chose the Bowling Green campus to work one-on-one with local physicians to foster a more personalized learning experience. The smaller campus community promotes easy accessibility to resources that promote success on a daily basis.”
“This campus has allowed me to continue to live and learn in a place I am passionate about serving as a future physician. South Central Kentucky has molded me into the person I am today, and I am grateful to continue my education in the community that I love. The close-knit community of the UK College of Medicine Bowling Green Campus has not only fostered an excellent learning environment for me but has made me feel right at home.”