When in college, getting some hands-on experience outside of the classroom can be a vital piece to someone's education. Arnot Health has decided to offer the chance to enhance learning by becoming a teaching site for medical students. Our Bill Mich has the details on the big announcement.

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ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Arnot Health made a big announcement on Thursday saying it has partnered with the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

"I think we can pretty clearly see where this will be a turning point in our history," said Arnot Health CEO, Anthony Cooper.

That is because the partnership with the college will transform Arnot Health into a new teaching site for medical students, residents and fellowships. In fact, students have been rotating through the Arnot Health facilities since July and there could be as many as 40 by the end of the year.

"They can come to this regional institution, do their core rotations here, live in the community and work with the teaching physicians, it makes a great experience for them, as well as the hospital and their patients," said LECOM President, John Ferretti.

Lake Erie College also announced a $25,000 donation to the Arnot Ogden Medical Center Foundation to support the transformation to an academic health care system.

For students who have already started, they say they have been accepted by the doctors and local patients.

"A lot of them have a lot of knowledge about what is going on with them too so as much as you're teaching them what you know, they're teaching you what they know," said LECOM medical student, Sarah Turner.

Ultimately, Arnot Health would like to expand to more students if things go well and officials hope that the students, particularly the ones from the Twin Tiers, will not only train here, but practice here after graduation.

"Staying near our families and being able to provide services for the people that we grew up around. It's important to do," Turner said.

Time will tell just how successful this new academic venture is for Arnot Health but for now, everyone involved is excited to see what the partnership can bring to the hospital, the students and the patients they serve.