My tour of duty with the IU School of Medicine began in 1970 when I signed aboard as an instructor at the Muncie Center for Medical Education. Two years later, I became an assistant professor of biochemistry at the Northwest Center in Gary and, in 1981, I transferred to the campus at Fort Wayne. Students tell me the first attraction of a center is small class size, where they and their professors get to know each other very well. The administrative staff is available to help students in a variety of ways, from steering them through the bureaucratic maze to the simpler tasks of providing them with an emergency supply of ibuprofen, gum or soft drinks.
Proximity is a value that each center offers students.
Many prefer a center over the Indianapolis campus to be near their families for emotional support. Married students with families of their own often find the centers especially practical. And, as all medical students know, living close to home saves money. Collaborative teaching programs exist at many of the sites. Medical students interact with medical graduates in four different residencies at the Muncie Center.