Connected Care: New alliance builds pathways for next generation of healthcare professionals

A growing population in our region and across the country means more demands on healthcare providers to deliver quality, trusted, patient-centered care. Liberty University students are leading the way in meeting these workforce demands in Central Virginia and beyond as they train for careers as nurses, doctors, counselors, allied health professionals, and many others in the health sector. Graduates are leaving Liberty not only clinically competent but spiritually grounded with a heart for service, driven to provide compassionate care as an expression of Christ’s love.

Along with their rigorous academics, Liberty students gain real-world opportunities with well-established healthcare organizations that prove essential to their training. A new strategic alliance, the Center for Medical & Health Sciences at Liberty, is strengthening these opportunities and equipping more students to follow their callings and launch successful careers in service to others.

The new Center for Medical & Health Sciences operates as a collaborative hub and shared anchor for Liberty’s healthcare-related academic programs — College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM), School of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, and School of Behavioral Sciences — collectively serving over 35,000 students. The center has adopted a unified approach and is streamlining efforts across the programs to connect students with hospital systems, community-facing platforms, and practical training opportunities.

The schools will retain their unique culture and identity, maintaining compliance with their respective programmatic accreditors, and continue to train students in their existing facilities.

“This new center unifies Liberty’s academic, real-world, and clinical strengths to maximize our impact in medical and health sciences,” said Liberty President Dondi E. Costin. “Our students in the field of medicine are uniquely trained to care for the body, mind, soul, and spirit, in keeping with God’s design. Through the Center for Medical & Health Sciences, the respective schools will coordinate their efforts, learn from one another, and cooperate with regional healthcare partners providing our students with essential practicum placements and internships. Students will graduate ready to impact their community and the world as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.”

Liberty graduates will help meet growing demands across the healthcare industry. While healthcare workers make up the largest employment sector in the U.S. (over 17 million in 2023), the 2024 National Center for Health Workforce Analysis reports a projected shortage of 187,130 full-time equivalent (FTE) physicians across all specialties and a 6% shortage of registered nurses (RNs) nationwide in 2037; non-metropolitan areas are expected to experience greater shortages. The analysis concludes an aging population and a rapidly changing healthcare delivery system will make it “even more important to have a well-trained and well-distributed healthcare workforce that can adapt to the changing needs of a population.”

Costin said the new center distinguishes Liberty as “an exceptional healthcare institution recognized among top institutions” and as “the school of choice for those pursuing a career in the healthcare, public health, and science fields.”

The collaboration also aims to make more efficient use of resources across all programs. Students will have more interdisciplinary education opportunities so they are better prepared for a team-based approach to healthcare. These opportunities are already proving beneficial to students. Every spring, for example, nursing students join LUCOM student-doctors for a childbirth simulation.

“We came together and gauged where we’re at in terms of communication and interprofessional relationships in our respective roles,” said nursing graduate Daniel Doby (’25) during last year’s simulation. “The experience really shone a light on what areas I need to improve in, such as my communication skills with doctors. Our styles of communication were pretty different at the start, but we definitely became more comfortable and effective later into the simulation.”

OMS-III Josh Garcia participated in the simulation as a student-doctor last spring.

“As a second-year medical student, unless we’ve had previous experience in a hospital setting before we came to LUCOM, we haven’t interacted with nurses like this before,” he said. “These events are really helpful as we get to meet nurses and pick their brains about things and see a simulation of how our roles interact and communicate in the real world.”

The new center will also position existing programs for growth, optimizing the use of current and new facilities while supporting potential new healthcare-related degree programs and leveraging faculty credentialing and training.

“Connecting the four schools in this way, facilitating collaboration between the disciplines, allows for enhanced training for future leaders and Champions for Christ in healthcare,” said Liberty Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Scott Hicks. “While the schools will remain separate entities, each program will pour into the others in many ways and share resources that meaningfully benefit each student. Our present and future partnerships with healthcare organizations will position our students even further forward in their careers and make them competitive in the marketplace.”

Hicks said this center of industry synergy “not only enriches the student experience but also strengthens the university’s mission to develop compassionate, skilled professionals who are equipped to lead and serve in the healthcare industry and beyond.”

The center is built on four foundational principles:

1. Faith-Driven Education

Grounded in a biblical worldview, the programs integrate faith with learning, preparing students to serve with compassion, integrity, and a commitment to Christ-centered care.

2. Community and Global Impact

Collaboration with healthcare systems and community organizations enhances practical learning and service opportunities.

3. Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Through comprehensive education and training, the center emphasizes interdisciplinary learning and holistic care.

4. Advanced Facilities and Resources

State-of-the-art facilities, including simulation labs, anatomy labs, and medical libraries, support hands-on learning and research. Through a synergistic approach to scientific and academic investigation, the center unites multiple disciplines, institutions, and stakeholders to address complex problems.

For more information and to partner with the Center for Medical & Health Sciences, visit the website or email CMHS@liberty.edu.