COASTAL Partnership: CSUSM

Tri-City Medical Center is honored to highlight our COASTAL Commitment partner, California State University San Marcos (CSUSM). Through our COASTAL Commitment, Tri-City Medical Center actively engages in our community by building key partnerships that address our biggest health needs and positively impact North County.

California State University San Marcos

CSUSM is a forward-focused institution, dedicated to preparing future leaders, building great communities and solving critical issues. Located in the heart of San Marcos, the university is well known for its 75 graduate programs and its active role in sustainability and diversity.

About half of CSUSM students are underrepresented minorities and 54% of graduates are the first in their families to earn a bachelor’s degree. One in nine students is a veteran, service member or military-affiliated dependent. CSUSM is also a major contributor of bachelor’s degree holders to the region’s workforce, with more than 80% of students remaining in the region following graduation. As Tri-City Medical Center is one of the largest employers in North County, our COASTAL Commitment partnership with CSUSM is vital in advancing workforce development.

Partnership Overview

As COASTAL Commitment partners, we have maintained our partnership since 2004 and supported events such as Report to the Community, SUPER STEM Saturday and many more. Our meaningful partnership with their nursing program includes being a nearby facility for their students to gain hands-on experience through clinical rounds in our hospital. Before COVID, Tri-City Medical Center would assist in this training and admit 160 nursing students, 6 physical or occupational therapists and 2 nurse practitioners for real-world experience and training. Our Tri-City Hospital Auxiliary’s partnership with CSUSM has involved a scholarship program through which nearly 100 scholarships—totaling $99,000—have been awarded to nursing students since 2009. Through this partnership, we have helped develop some of the top nursing, physical, occupational and speech therapy talent the region has to offer.

Our most recent engagement with the university consisted of sponsoring two Senior Experience Teams for their College of Business Administration (COBA). The CSUSM Senior Experience Program matches teams of students with projects submitted by regional and national businesses and organizations. This program supports senior undergraduate students, to help them gain work experience with local businesses and organizations. These real-world projects require students to utilize teamwork and the application of classroom knowledge.

Tri-City Medical Center has participated in many Senior Experience teams and this past semester sponsored two projects. One Senior Experience Team focused on market research specifically targeted toward reputation analysis. The second Senior Experience team focused on adoption of best practices for SOCAL (Student Opportunities for Career Awareness & Learning) Tri-City’s newest initiative under our COASTAL Commitment which focuses on career awareness and workforce development in North County.

Through these Senior Experiences projects, the students maintained contact with their faculty advisor who was leading the team and planned meetings with our organization. During the course of their semester, students researched and came up with new ideas, plans and recommendations based on best practices and other market research. Their final presentations and reports gave Tri-City Leaders a fresh perspective and the students gained valuable business experience. Overall, Tri-City Medical continues to support CSUSM’s programs and events to help further local student’s education and experiences.

Get Involved

Through our COASTAL Commitment, we focus on partnerships that advance the health and wellness of North County. Our partnership with CSUSM is pivotal in building bridges and creating opportunities for students in our community post-graduation. To learn more about California State University San Marcos, visit csusm.edu.

Community Partnership Profiles: