After Cape Girardeau Mayor Stacy Kinder issued a proclamation that June 20 was “Physicians of Tomorrow Day,” the first cohort of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) students at Mercy Southeast began their first clinical rotation year.
Mercy Southeast hosted a blessing of the hands and opening celebration on Friday, June 20, to welcome six incoming third-year students who will begin their first clinical rotations for the 2025-26 school year on Monday, June 23. Rotations will take place at hospitals and clinics at Mercy Southeast in Cape Girardeau; Mercy Perry in Perryville, Missouri; and Mercy Stoddard in Dexter, Missouri.
LECOM, the nation’s largest medical college, will also work with Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) to help students navigate their advanced medical education.
“This is a monumental step for the city and medical community,” Mayor Kinder said in the proclamation. “It provides medical students the opportunity to gain health care experience outside of urban settings, creating a pipeline for upcoming physicians to visit and remain in Southeast Missouri to address critical health care needs in the region.”
In addition to choosing Mercy for its shared mission, LECOM intentionally sought out non-urban settings like Cape Girardeau. Rural communities and patients often need more support to sustain health care resources, and medical students often grow to love the communities they train in after spending several years in the same area. Once those students become physicians, they frequently choose to stay in the community where they’ve established roots.
“Mercy Southeast is thrilled to welcome its first group of LECOM students to Cape Girardeau,” said Dr. Matthew Gaeta, Chief Medical Officer for Mercy Hospital Perry and LECOM Regional Dean for Mercy’s Southeast Missouri communities. “About 70% of LECOM graduates become primary care physicians, which this area very much needs to increase patient access to good health and help prevent hospital stays. This campus expansion also helps lay the groundwork for Mercy Southeast to serve as a regional teaching hospital and become a center of excellence, attracting top-notch physicians and delivering on Mercy’s promise to bring high-quality, compassionate care to Southeast Missouri.”
The extension of LECOM to Cape Girardeau includes the school’s Early Acceptance Program, where LECOM will partner with SEMO to identify potential medical school candidates and guide them in earning an advanced degree. The program enables students to apply for a seat at LECOM at the same time they apply to SEMO. An established number of qualified students will receive early acceptance to LECOM’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, School of Pharmacy, School of Dental Medicine or School of Podiatric Medicine through SEMO. SEMO students will be able to start the professional program before they have completed their bachelor’s degree.
“Biology is SEMO’s third-largest major, with many students earning their bachelor’s degree here before going on to medical school,” said Dr. Carlos Vargas, SEMO president. “SEMO is thrilled to offer this opportunity for our students to have early acceptance at LECOM and then to train in Cape at Mercy Southeast. We are proud to work with both of these impressive partners to address physician needs in our region.”
LECOM seeks to assist applicants who are the first in their family to enter higher education, offering one of the lowest tuition rates in the nation for private medical colleges. In addition, the LECOM Student Scholarship Fund provides around four million dollars a year to assist students and decrease their financial debt.
“Mercy and LECOM are mission driven organizations that invest in the communities they serve to create a pipeline of healthcare professionals securing the well-being of these communities,” said Dr. Michael Rowane, associate dean of clinical education for LECOM. “The addition of Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) in the LECOM Early Acceptance Program provides another opportunity for individuals from the community to have direct access to become osteopathic physicians, pharmacists, dentists and podiatric physicians. LECOM, Mercy and SEMO have created a pathway for local students to return home for clinical training at Mercy sites and eventually practice in the communities that raised them.”
LECOM, which also educates future pharmacists, dentists and podiatrists, opened its first Midwest regional campus in June 2024 at Mercy Jefferson in Festus, Missouri. Its flagship campus is in Erie, Pennsylvania. LECOM and Mercy plan to continue to develop the expanded program over the years with an eventual goal of establishing residency programs at Mercy Southeast.
Mercy, one of the 15 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation’s largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including 50 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 1,000 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 5,000 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 50,000 co-workers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2024 alone, Mercy provided nearly half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid.
For interested students, now is the perfect time to learn more about SEMO! Apply today with no application fee. Eligible new Missouri undergraduate students with a 2.75 high school GPA and who are eligible for Pell Grants won’t pay any tuition or fees at Southeast Missouri State with the Will To Do Award. SEMO also offers one tuition rate nationwide for domestic students. Apply at semo.edu/apply. Prospective students can explore SEMO’s opportunities by scheduling a campus visit. For more information or to visit campus, visit the Southeast Admissions page or admissions@semo.edu.
Founded in 1992, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) has grown to become the largest and one of the most affordable medical schools in the United States. LECOM offers innovative, student-centered pathways to degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, dental medicine, podiatry and health services administration. To date, LECOM has graduated more than 17,000 healthcare professionals who are now serving communities across the country. Committed to excellence in education, research, and community service, LECOM continues to shape the future of healthcare by training the next generation of highly skilled and compassionate professionals.