Bay of Plenty is set to get a medical campus to cater for the increasing length of time trainee doctors are spending in the region.
Bay of Plenty District Health Board Clinical School head Professor Peter Gilling said it became an academic site for the University of Auckland medical students in 2010 but due to growth he expected Tauranga Hospital and Whakatane Hospital to become campuses within two years.
"This would be a major milestone and part of the university infrastructure not just an outpost. I think it will probably mean increased resource and we would be looking for infrastructure support.''
''We are just using hospital facilities at the moment, including the conference centre and all the tutorial rooms, but my goal would be to have a purpose-built building.''
Data shows in 2010, 36 medical students from Auckland University spent 311 weeks in the Bay training but it was projected 87 students would spend 1800 weeks at Tauranga Hospital and Whakatane Hospital next year.