This week marked the “beginning of an exciting new chapter in the relationship between the University of South Carolina and the Lexington Medical Center.”

That’s USC President Michael Amiridis’ appraisal of a newly announced nursing simulation center and teaching space that is set to be built on the hospital’s West Columbia campus. The center will provide clinical training for the university’s nursing students.

The school’s Board of Trustees also announced a graduate medical education affiliation with the hospital, which will place graduating primary care physicians from USC into programs at Lexington Medical. The first of these will be a Family Medicine Residency Program, which is set to accept 13 residents per year beginning next summer.

“The establishment of a new state-of-the-art facility for the use of our Nursing program on the hospital’s campus and the creation of 13 new residencies in family practice make a strong statement of our shared commitment to building the future of health care in the Midlands and across South Carolina,” Amiridis is quoted a press release. 

Lexington Medical President and CEO Tod Augsburger is also quoted in the release:

“Lexington Medical Center is excited to expand our relationship with the University of South Carolina to creatively solve two challenges – the nursing shortage and the growing need for primary care physicians. As leaders in the Midlands, our organizations share a responsibility and a vision to enhance services, create opportunities and support growth in our region. These endeavors mark the beginning of a strong partnership that will improve the health of our communities for generations,”

The 50,000-square-foot simulation center is being funded by the hospital and is estimated to cost $20 million. It is expected to be finished by 2024, with groundbreaking anticipated this fall.

Lexington Medical transitioned from being owned by the county to being held privately in 2020. 

The university says the new space will allow it to greatly increase the output of its nursing school, growing from 220 graduates this May to a new capacity of 400 nurses per year when the center opens.

“The new building will be used primarily for clinical training of the university’s third- and fourth-year nursing bachelor’s students as well as master’s program students,” the release states. “The university’s health sciences interprofessional education program also will use classroom space.”

The facility is expected to open and bring in its first cohort of students in fall 2024.

Lexington Medical’s main West Columbia campus has 557 beds. Each year, the hospital delivers more than 4,000 babies, performs more than 25,000 surgeries and treats more than 100,000 patients at its emergency department, which it says is one of the busiest in the state.

“South Carolina is projected to have the fourth highest nursing shortage in the country by 2030,” Melissa Taylor, vice president and chief nursing officer at Lexington Medical, is quoted. “We’re excited about the impact of this partnership, which will grow the pipeline of skilled nurses for our organization and the state and give qualified individuals more opportunity to enter the nursing profession.”

For the graduate medical education programs, the hospital says it began construction earlier this year on a $19 million, 45,000-square-foot building, which will house instructional space and patient care clinics. 

Lexington Medical says its Family Medicine Residency Program is “poised to be one of the largest in South Carolina” and that it will increase available residency positions in the state by 12%.

“The hospital plans to establish additional primary care-focused residency programs over the next five to six years,” the release states, “including Transitional Year, Internal Medicine and OB/GYN Residency Programs.”

The hospital details that recruitment has started for the first cohort of family medicine residents, who are set to begin training in July 2023 and be prepared for independent practice in July 2026.

“As the area’s only independent health system, Lexington Medical Center has a long-held commitment to excellence in primary care,” Dr. Brent Powers, senior vice president and chief medical officer, is quoted. “Training the next generation of primary care providers is aligned with our mission of providing quality health services that meet the needs of our communities. 

“Our partnership with the University of South Carolina will ensure we have a steady source of skilled, compassionate physicians who value our culture of care and want to continue practicing here in the Midlands.”