Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College Of Medicine At Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee: Photo Tour

The 198,000-square-foot medical school includes simulation patient rooms and inpatient and community pharmacies.

Published: October 15, 2024Tracey Walker

Jeremiah Hull

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Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine at Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee

The Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., opened its doors in April and welcomed its first class of medical students this fall.

Totaling 198,000 square-feet and six stories, the medical school includes four skills labs, an assessment lab, eight simulation patient rooms, 24 simulation exam rooms, and inpatient and community pharmacies.

Additionally, the facility houses event and community spaces, a media study center, two lecture classrooms, two lecture halls, student lounge, 10 medical society group rooms, and study rooms.

Medical school design inspired by campus’ neoclassical architecture

The exterior design aesthetic responds to the existing campus’s neoclassical architecture established by the historic Belmont Mansion.

This style features limestone cladding and ornate detailing common among buildings of this period. The new facility exterior uses multistory classical columns, an abundance of windows, and detailed cornicework.

The interior design contrasts the exterior by showcasing modern wood detailing, a multistory atrium spaces that feature two-story glass walls, terrazzo floors with a circular design motif, and clusters of various seating types.

For example, seating areas outside key educational spaces allow students to wait and converse in between sessions .

Layout approaches for interactive learning

Included in the first and second floors are two 200-seat tiered collaborative learning theaters; flexible event space; two 208-seat flex-learning spaces designed for collaborative group activities; and admission and student affairs offices.

The third and fourth floors house the Center for Interprofessional Engagement and Simulation, totaling 65,000 square-feet.

The center houses fully simulated hospital rooms with debrief space; preparation clinic space; inpatient and community pharmacies; supply support; immersive, assessment, and skills labs; technology and resources to provide students with interdisciplinary experiential learning.

Pharmacy students can simulate providing medications to nursing and medical students that are running active patient simulations.

Additionally, patient lifts located in the patient rooms allow physical and occupational therapy students to train in moving patients alongside nursing and medical students during simulations.