Springfield Clinical Campus celebrates 10th anniversary

Established in 2016, the University of Missouri School of Medicine’s Springfield Clinical Campus (SCC) has become a driving force in addressing physician shortages across Missouri. As a clinical site for third- and fourth-year Mizzou medical students, SCC has welcomed up to 28 third year and 28 fourth-year students each year in the past decade.

Powered by a partnership with CoxHealth and Mercy Springfield Communities health systems, Mizzou medical students complete clinical rotations throughout the Springfield area. Beginning with the Class of 2018, SCC continues to create new opportunities for students to learn and serve in southwest Missouri and across the country.

With Match Day 2026 approaching on March 20, this year’s class of SCC medical students will join the nearly 150 graduates to match at healthcare locations nationwide.

Learn more about SCC’s influence on Mizzou medical students as they continue to make an impact on patient lives locally and nationally.

The inaugural Class of 2018

In 2018, a group of nine medical students became the first graduating class who trained at the SCC. Included in that historic class was Christopher Weil, MD, assistant professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

As he trekked to Springfield for his clinical years, Weil was optimistic knowing SCC’s smaller class size would deliver a very hands-on experience.

“I was hoping for a ‘master-apprentice’ style of teaching and that’s exactly what happened,” said Weil. “It required more self-study to prepare for patient conditions, workup and overall management, but building that preparation muscle ended up being one of the best skills I acquired at the Mizzou School of Medicine.”

Weil was given an opportunity to shine from the start, including a rotation with Jessica Snider, DO, medical oncologist at Mercy Springfield Communities. A daily schedule included early morning inpatient rounds and a tightly packed outpatient clinic schedule. Even after long hours, Dr. Snider took additional time with Weil to ensure his experience was beneficial.

“She helped me entirely recraft and finely hone my morning review process and my patient presentations, which may sound like a minor thing but proved to be incredibly helpful,” said Weil. “Dr. Snider would spend weeks helping me finely tune my efficiency and communication skills. That period was arguably the most formative weeks of my entire healthcare career to date, as it set me up for success throughout my medical school, residency and post-training career.”

Looking back at the historical significance of being a member of SCC’s inaugural class, Weil looks forward to giving back and being an advocate for the Mizzou School of Medicine whenever possible.

“Springfield’s hands-on procedural experience was unmatched compared to peers I’ve worked with,” said Weil. “Gaining invaluable time with so many talented physicians at CoxHealth and Mercy Springfield Communities hospitals was something I won’t forget. Getting the opportunity to attend SCC was easily the best decision I made in medical school.”

Winning the lottery at SCC

A student’s medical school journey can feature a wide range of emotions, including unforgettable highs and challenging lows. It was no different for Samantha Metzger, MD, a 2023 graduate from the Mizzou Springfield Clinical Campus.

After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2018 from the University of Missouri, she returned to mid-Missouri in 2020 to pursue her medical degree. Following completion of her first- and second-year curriculum at the Columbia campus, Metzger was later selected in a lottery system to finish her clinical years at SCC.

With her six-plus years of Mizzou ties in Columbia, she initially struggled with the news of an eventual move to a new environment in Springfield. However, thanks to guidance from her father, Metzger decided to take on the new opportunity with a determined mindset.

“I recall feeling like I got ‘drafted’ to SCC, but after arriving to Springfield, I quickly realized I had actually ‘won the lottery’ with this next move in my medical school journey,” said Metzger. “From my very first day at SCC, my nerves were overcome by the kindness and support that overflowed from all the faculty and staff.”

If it wasn’t for her selection to SCC, Metzger is convinced both her healthcare and life paths would be radically different. The opportunity to conduct rotations through CoxHealth and Mercy Springfield Communities hospitals allowed her to work with the two physicians who have most influenced her career to this point, Marcia Hernandez, DO, and Molly Greenwade, MD.

“Witnessing their incredible patient-centered practices in gynecologic oncology inspired me to follow in their footsteps,” said Metzger. “Currently, I’m a third-year OBGYN resident at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, and I’m so grateful for their mentorship to this day.”

The future of healthcare

In mid-March, the 2026 class of medical students from the Mizzou School of Medicine will learn where they will be training in their chosen specialties as resident physicians. Students will be joined by family, friends and their peers at “Match Day” as they open an envelope to reveal their residency match.

Among the students in attendance will be fourth-year medical student Bethany Thompson-Gordon. She’s currently concluding her final clinical year at SCC and will look to match into a family medicine residency program.

Thompson-Gordon arrived at Springfield, Missouri, in summer 2024 for her third-year clinical rotations. Beginning with internal medicine, regarded as one of the most challenging clerkships, she quickly faced one of the toughest challenges in her healthcare career.

Despite feeling overwhelmed, Thompson-Gordon was quickly able to adapt thanks to the talented and caring preceptors at SCC.

“We had the ability to work directly with attending physicians and it made for impactful interactions,” said Thompson-Gordon. “I recall them having exceptional patience with me and offering encouragement by sharing their own personal experiences in healthcare. While those first rotations were challenging, I was grateful for those experiences and I thanked each of my SCC preceptors.”

Thanks to a memorable and enriching experience in Springfield, Thompson-Gordon knows she’s ready to excel and impact lives as her medical career progresses.

“My goal is to work as a family medicine physician in a clinic that cares for a marginalized and historically underserved community,” said Thompson-Gordon. “As a former high school biology teacher, I really enjoy educating and hope to one day teach future medical students and/or residents in a clinical capacity.”