in the program. In 1975 the state of Florida assumed the funding of the program
in FSU’s budget. PIMS had been providing the first year of medical education
for 30 students a year since the 1970s. The traditions and successful policies and
philosophy of FSU’s Program in Medical Sciences influence and guide the continued
development of the College of Medicine.
Until 1992, only students from FSU, the University of West Florida
and FAMU – as well as some UF students who were not accepted directly in
Gainesville (upon referral by the UF College of Medicine admissions chair) –
could apply to PIMS for admission. Under the directorship of Dr. Hurt, PIMS
became a participant in the AMCAS application process in 1992, and the applicant
pool was opened to all legal residents of the state of Florida. However, the
original recruiting mission of the program was retained. Housed first in the
Thagard Health Center and then Montgomery Gym on the FSU campus, PIMS
moved into new administrative offices and a new student resource center in 1993.
The FSU College of Medicine uses similar holistic admissions criteria to those
of PIMS. From the first PIMS admission cycle, diversity in life experience was
sought in applicants to the program. Application of “nontraditional” students
and those from rural and urban underserved areas was, and still is, encouraged.
Older returning students, students from financial and/or educationally disadvantaged
backgrounds, minority students, females, students from rural and urban
areas as well as diverse ethnic backgrounds were selected for admission to PIMS.
Consequently, PIMS classes tended to have an older average age and to be more
diverse than classes at traditional medical schools.
Early clinical experiences in community settings have been a curricular component
of the program since the beginning, in addition to a culture that values
group study, teamwork, patient-centered medical care and service to others.
To promote a liberal studies background and a humanistic medical education,
PIMS was placed within FSU’s College of Arts and Sciences. FAMU, Florida’s
historically black university, and UWF became PIMS recruiting partners in 1971
and 1985, respectively. Paul Elliott, Ph.D., served as program director from 1970
to 1978; Robley Light, Ph.D., was interim director for about a year; Robert
Reeves, Ph.D., was director from 1979 to 1992; and Hurt was named director
in 1992.
Hurt was the final director, serving from 1992 until 2000, when the College
of Medicine was created. •
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