Healthcare Training

Western University of Health Sciences

Western University of Health Sciences lies on the east side of the San Gabriel Valley. "Western U" is one of the largest graduate schools for the health professions in California, offering 21 academic programs in nine colleges. They have a second, smaller campus located in Lebanon, Oregon.

Both campuses include an operational medical center, dental center, eye care institute, pharmacy, and travel health center.  Western U focuses on team-based training to teach comprehensive, patient-centered care. 

Western U has a growing research portfolio that focuses on neurobiology, molecular/metabolic diseases, and immunology.

westernu.edu 

Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine

The Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine made headlines in 2019 when they announced that their first five cohorts would have 100% of their tuition waived. The move, according to founding Dean Dr. Mark Schuster, was meant to encourage the most talented students to pursue careers in family medicine rather than only high-paying specialist paths, which many medical students focus on in order to repay their costly student loans.

This is not the only way the university is innovating, however. The curriculum is designed to focus on Kaiser Permanente’s integrated care model. Doctors will be trained to work on teams with other medical professionals onsite in order to take a holistic approach to patient care. Rather than spending their first year in science-heavy lecture courses, students will begin working alongside other professionals immediately and train in the field. 

After a year of learning primary care, students study surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and psychiatry the second year. Cohorts are kept to only 48 students per year, smaller than average for a medical school.

medschool.kp.org