PCOM graduates plan to put medical training to work in rural areas

MOULTRIE — When the first class of 59 students stepped onto the campus of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine — South Georgia here four years ago, the college had as a major goal preparing students who would practice in rural areas.

Among the 51 who graduated in the inaugural class in May, the class included local students from Colquitt, Dougherty and other southwest Georgia counties.

Among those are Xavia Taylor, a 2014 Thomas County Central High School graduate from Moultrie, and Doerun native Julia Patterson. Both are in residency programs at Archbold Medical Center in Thomasville.

Of the eight students who did not complete their studies, two transferred to other PCOM campuses and six took leaves of absence for personal reasons with plans to graduate later. All are one track to graduate, the college said.

Taylor said she had her sights set on medical school, but the opening of the school in Moultrie gave here the opportunity to live in her hometown with her family.

“If somebody had asked me five years ago if I would go to medical school in Moultrie … of course not, because I never imagined Moultrie would have a medical school,” she said. “Overall, it was good. Of course, it was very challenging.”

One thing that impressed Taylor was being in a class of less than 60. That allowed for a more intimate relationship with fellow students and faculty.

“You had the opportunity to speak directly with instructors,” she said. “I think I had great training for my medical career, and the good thing for me (was) I got to do it at home.”

As a resident, Taylor is putting in 80-hour weeks but still has a relatively short commute and is still living at home.

Currently the recent graduate is considering pursuing internal medicine.

“Right now I’m not 100% sure,” she said. “I do hold interest for GI. I will probably be going into GI unless I get interested in another area.”

Her plans also include staying in a community like her hometown.

“I do plan to practice rural,” she said. “That’s always been important for me. Maybe that’s because I grew up rural. Could I be in Moultrie? Could I be in Thomasville? I don’t know.”

Like everyone else, the COVID-19 pandemic caused some interruptions for the class of 2023 at PCOM. The school shifted to online instruction but was able to keep students on schedule.

“A big impact came with the schedule of national board exams,” Dr. Robert Lloyd, interim dean and chief academic officer, chair of clinical education and associate professor of surgery at PCOM South Georgia, said. “In the osteopathic medical schools, all graduating students must pass the Level I and Level II Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination. Like many activities in the national economy, national board exams were paused for a period of time.”

Once testing resumed, medical schools and students were able to make adjustments to complete the required exams, he said.

The smaller setting was a benefit for instructors as well as the students, Lloyd said, and some with experience at larger institutions chose the opportunity to be in southwest Georgia because it offered more student-faculty interaction.

“Our faculty is here because they want to teach,” he said. “Our college staff are able to develop close relationships with our students, the benefits of which cannot be measured by test scores alone.”

The smaller class sizes also helped create a supportive learning environment, Joanne Jones, chief of campus operations and career counselor at the college, said.

Like Taylor, Patterson is working in internal medicine, and she said she likes the challenge of examining patients and diagnosing their illnesses.

Growing up in rural Colquitt County, she said she saw the need for medical care and thinks she would like to stay close to her roots. Her area or interest is as a hospitalist.

“I feel like my education has shown me the medical needs in south Georgia and I want to stay,” she said. “I’m pretty strong in doing hospital medicine, taking care of people after they are admitted.”

Both of the local graduates said they feel it was special being part of the first class to graduate in southwest Georgia.

“I think it was special,” Patterson said. “It was when they started putting together a campus that I became more interested in it.”

Both graduates also have embraced the osteopathic medical approach and the work the college is doing in the region.

“We were in the first class the medical college brought to our hometown,” Taylor said. “We’re glad PCOM is a success and being a part of that. I did know about doctors of osteopathic medicine before, and I knew about the MD path as well. It definitely has some great things to offer to the medical field.”

Special Photo: PCOM South GeorgiaSpecial Photo: PCOM South Georgia