HCA Conroe & Sam Houston State University-College of Osteopathic Medicine bring world class healthcare to Conroe – one of the nation’s fastest growing cities
One element of Conroe’s continuing success as a fast growing and modern city is the growth of a robust and cutting-edge healthcare industry. Comprehensive healthcare facilities serve the region and cutting-edge institutions develop physicians in Conroe. This commitment and desire to create a healthier population attracts residents and businesses alike and places Conroe among the best. World Class is Made Here.
HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe (HCA Conroe) has been serving the area for more than 80 years, making it the largest standing hospital in Montgomery County. HCA Conroe is a Level II Trauma Center, Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, an accredited chest pain center, and recently became a comprehensive stroke center. All of these attributes contribute to HCA Conroe’s primary goal of saving lives.
“We’re in the saving lives business,” said HCA Conroe CEO, Matt Davis. “One of the features that sets us apart is that we spend 100% of our focus on taking care of patients. When you look at it as a whole, we provide great care for the community.”
With 332 beds and approximately 1,200 employees, HCA Conroe, which is part of the largest private healthcare network in the world, has evolved to treat Conroe’s growing population. The expansion of services and, more importantly, the dedication to patient care has met the growing demand of the community that surrounds HCA Conroe.
“I’ve been here 11 years and the thing that I’m most proud of is that we’ve been able to expand our services all in the name of driving even better quality of care. It doesn’t do us any good to expand our services if we’re not providing quality care. You look at our quality indicators and it’s amazing what we’re doing,” added Davis.
Hiring great healthcare professionals is certainly a large part of offering world class healthcare. Davis understands that doctors, nurses, administrators, and everyone else employed by HCA Conroe play a vital role in taking care of patients at the desired level.
“When you look at our data against systems and other individuals, we’re in the top quartile. Pick anything–quality, service, engagement. All of these qualities fall into world class healthcare. World class healthcare doesn’t just mean my mortality scores are the lowest or that surgical site infections don’t exist. World class healthcare, in my mind, means that when you walk into our facility, we’re providing great service to you. You are going to get taken care of at the highest level by great doctors and friendly people that are competent. You are going to leave here better than when you came and our hope is that you leave here faster than you expected,” Davis offered.
The challenge and importance of finding great doctors is being met via the world class commitment to healthcare in Conroe. Sam Houston State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine (SHSU-COM) is at the forefront of that commitment. Founded in 2019, SHSU-COM is conveniently and strategically located in Conroe’s Grand Central Park. The first class of doctors graduate in May and receive their residency matches in March.
SHSU-COM is focused on preparing primary care physicians to serve rural and underserved communities, primarily in East Texas. By focusing on this geographic area, SHSU-COM will help fill a major healthcare need in areas surrounding Montgomery County.
“Sam Houston State created the College of Osteopathic Medicine to be somewhat different from other medical schools in the area. What we see in East Texas is still a severe shortage in access to medical care and that’s predominantly in the area of primary care,” said SHSU-COM Dean, Dr. Thomas Mohr. “It was kind of a stroke of genius to say, ‘Sam Houston is going to do something a little different here. We’re going to create a medical school that is really focused on primary care.’”
There are around 480 students studying at SHSU-COM, including 69 in the class set to graduate this year. The college will grow to more than 600 when it reaches full capacity in the coming years. Speaking to the appeal of serving East Texas communities, 97 percent of current students are from Texas. Thanks to a bill signed by Governor Greg Abbott during the 88th Texas Legislature, SHSU-COM is also the most cost effective osteopathic college in the entire country.
While SHSU-COM is still a young medical school, the success of its students demonstrates it is already a world class osteopathic college. The inaugural class had a 97 percent first time pass rate on the national licensure exam. This places SHSU-COM in the top four of all osteopathic schools in the country. The second class scored a 99 percent first time pass rate, which has a chance to place SHSU-COM number one when rankings are released.
“As a physician, I’ll never say that passing a test makes you a good doctor, but it is the door you have to walk through to become a good doctor. The curriculum that we’ve created has clearly shown to be very effective in being able to train our students in what they need to know,” offered Mohr.
Mohr wants to be sure that doctors graduating from SHSU-COM are prepared to offer world class healthcare years from now.
“We’re not training our medical students for the healthcare of today. We need to make sure that they are resilient enough and flexible enough to be physicians of tomorrow. That means that they have to be lifelong learners and critical thinkers and they have to be able to understand new concepts and apply them,” said Mohr.
SHSU-COM and HCA Conroe, separated by only a couple miles, are allies on the path of creating world class healthcare. HCA Conroe serves as a clinical partner for SHSU-COM third- and fourth-year students. Keeping kids close to home for medical school will aid Conroe’s ability to recruit the best talent.
“Sam Houston’s endeavor into doctor training has been fantastic. I love it. What I like the most about what they’re doing is that they’re recruiting Texas kids. They’re going after individuals that have a high propensity to stay in the region,” offered Davis.
“HCA Conroe is a great partner. They’ve been great working with us,” added Mohr.
Conroe’s position as a hub for business and residential development demands availability of quality medicine. HCA Conroe and SHSU-COM are welcoming that challenge and exceeding expectations with a commitment to patients and physicians. Both entities are building for the future and offering Conroe an opportunity to experience world class healthcare today and tomorrow. World Class is Made Here.
