From foundational sciences to patient care, students will learn across a connected network of purpose-built educational spaces and Ochsner Health clinical environments.
Medical education comes to life when rigorous study, hands-on practice, and patient care are intentionally connected. At Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine, students will move through a learning environment designed to support that progression, beginning at the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine’s Center for Medical Education in downtown New Orleans. Education will progress through simulation training at Ochsner Health and culminate in required clerkships across Ochsner Health clinical sites.
Center for Medical Education
During the pre-clerkship phase, students will learn at the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine’s Center for Medical Education. Located in downtown New Orleans and within the city’s growing BioDistrict, the Center places students in a setting designed specifically for next-generation medical education.
Signature Spaces
- 200-seat auditorium
- 100-seat team-based learning classroom
- Anatomy laboratory for up to 125 students
- Five flexible classrooms
- Simulation and virtual reality resources
- Student Success Center, library services, and student commons
- Study and meeting rooms
- Multifaith chapel
- Lounges, lockers, and lactation room
At the Center for Medical Education, students will have places to learn together, focus independently, connect with classmates, and build the habits of collaboration that carry into clinical care.
Large-group instruction, hands-on study, collaborative learning, and student support come together in one purpose-built environment.
First Floor Plan:
First-floor learning and support spaces, including the auditorium, anatomy laboratory, and faculty offices.
Third Floor Plan:
Third-floor student spaces for learning, study, collaboration, gathering, and student support
Simulation and Clinical Skills Training
Clinical skills development will begin before the clerkship years. Students will learn through simulation models and have supervised patient encounters. Simulation resources at the Center for Medical Education and the Ochsner Clinical Simulation and Patient Safety Center on Jefferson Highway will support realistic, hands-on learning
Part-Task Trainers
Focused practice of individual procedural skills.
High-fidelity manikins
Realistic scenarios that respond to student decisions.
Standardized patients
Communication and examination practice with feedback.
Virtual Reality
Immersive tools for anatomy, procedures, and teamwork.
Clinical Training Across Ochsner
In Years 3 and 4 , all required clerkships will take place within Ochsner Health, an integrated health system where inpatient, outpatient, specialty, community, and neighborhood settings support the full range of required clinical experiences.
Students will learn alongside physicians, residents, fellows, and other health professionals at sites that support graduate medical education with established academic resources and a culture of teaching.
The principal sites supporting clerkship education include:
Ochsner Medical Center – New Orleans
Ochsner Baptist Medical Center
Ochsner Hospital for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine – Elmwood
St. Charles Parish Hospital
St. Tammany Parish Hospital
Community health centers and neighborhood clinics
Travel Between Learning Sites
One connected educational journey: foundational learning downtown, deliberate practice through simulation, and clinical training across Ochsner Health.
Most learning sites are located within the greater New Orleans area. Students should expect some local travel during the pre-clerkship phase for community-based learning and early clinical experiences, and during the clinical phase as they gain experience across Ochsner Health settings.
~4 miles
Center for Medical Education to Ochsner Medical Center – New Orleans