IS BENEDICTINE REALLY GETTING A MEDICAL SCHOOL?
Two years ago, a medical school at Benedictine College sounded like an extraordinarily ambitious idea.
Today, it looks considerably more real.
The proposed Benedictine College School of Osteopathic Medicine has received Candidate Status from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation—an important milestone on the path toward welcoming its first class in Atchison, Kansas.
More than $50 million has been raised. More than 214 clinical training sites have been developed. A founding dean and leadership team are in place. Benedictine is planning a 110,000-square-foot medical education facility, and the college has now applied for the next crucial step: Pre-Accreditation.
So what does Candidate Status actually mean? What still has to happen before Benedictine can recruit medical students? How realistic is the planned 2028 opening? And what could a medical school mean for Benedictine—and for a small Kansas town like Atchison?
We follow the accreditation trail, examine what Benedictine has actually accomplished, and distinguish the plans from the milestones that still remain.
But there is a larger question behind the buildings, fundraising and accreditation standards:
What is a doctor for?
Benedictine says it wants to create an academically strong, faithfully Catholic medical school formed around Christ the healer and Christ the teacher. That opens a distinctly Chestertonian question about medicine itself: Is the patient primarily a medical problem to be solved—or a human person to be encountered?
This is the story of an ambitious college project that has moved a remarkable distance from idea toward institution—but still has important hurdles ahead.
Discover the Chesterton Radio World
Chesterton Radio is Stories • Ideas • Wonder from the Little Station on Commercial Street—original stories, Deep Dives, faith, history, literature, classic radio and conversations about the permanent things.
📻 Discover Chesterton Radio
🎧 Listen to The Open Door — our 24/7 stream
🍎 Follow Chesterton Radio on Apple Podcasts
☕ Help keep the Little Station broadcasting
Chesterton Radio is independent and listener-supported. If you enjoy our original stories, podcasts and Deep Dives, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support helps keep the light on at the Little Station.
The Open Door is always on.
