One of the most important days in a medical student's journey occurred this year on
March 17. PCOM Georgia's fourth year Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) students learned where they matched into residency programs and where they'll spend
their next three to seven years training in a specialty.
Leading up to the National Resident Matching Program or The Match, students decided on their specialty of choice, interviewed, and ranked programs of interest. In turn, following interviews with students, residency program directors ranked their choices and a complex algorithm aligned the students and programs.
According to Tina Woodruff, senior advisor to the provost, PCOM Georgia students achieved a 100% placement rate into postgraduate positions, while students from PCOM South Georgia in Moultrie and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine also achieved a 100% placement rate.
According to residency placement lists, 33% of PCOM Georgia's students will stay in Georgia to complete their residency programs. This percentage is an 85% increase in students staying in Georgia to complete residencies since 2016.
Students matched to such programs as anesthesiology at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, emergency medicine at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, family medicine at Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta, Floyd Medical Center in Rome, Houston Healthcare in Warner Robins and Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center in Marietta.
They also matched to programs including interventional radiology at Emory School of Medicine, pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia, psychiatry at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta and Piedmont Macon Medical Center in Macon, and surgery at Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
Forty-nine percent of PCOM Georgia students matched to primary care specialties including family medicine, internal medicine, OB/GYN and pediatrics. Seventy four percent matched into programs identified by the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce as core specialty programs, including the four primary care specialties, in addition to psychiatry, emergency medicine and general surgery.
Andrea Mann, DO, FAAP, dean and chief academic officer of PCOM Georgia's osteopathic medicine program said, “I am thrilled to see our Match list this year. I am pleased that a large percentage of the PCOM Georgia Osteopathic Medicine Class of 2023 have chosen to continue their training in Georgia. Additionally, almost three quarters of our fourth year students will pursue careers in Georgia’s targeted core specialty areas. I could not be more proud of all of our students.“
A separate military match occurred in December in which PCOM Georgia's five students who are entering the armed services matched into medical specialties. They include emergency medicine at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, family medicine at Darnell Army Medical Center in Fort Hood, Texas, general surgery at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, internal medicine at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and psychiatry at Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
The graduating students will start the next step in their journey on July 1 when they report to their residency positions as full-fledged doctors following commencement on May 23.
A day for celebratingMarch 17 was also a day of celebrating and reconnecting with classmates who have been in clerkships across the state and beyond training in a variety of specialties with physician preceptors.
The students gathered at the Gas South District in Duluth with their friends and family members an hour before they received word on where they matched. They toasted each other with bubbly and, following a countdown, opened their envelopes together. There were tears, hugs and FaceTime chats as the students shared their news with those important to them.
Caleb Jerris (DO '23), chair of the osteopathic medicine class of 2023, matched to a preliminary general surgery internship at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, where he is excited to start his career. He addressed his classmates at the Match Day celebration. “For a lot of us, the path here hasn't always been what we planned. No matter which path we had to take, it's time to celebrate the outcome of all that you did, both on your own and with the people who supported us and make it possible for us to realize our successes.”
He encouraged his classmates, adding, “Congratulations to everyone on the amazing physicians you will become.”
Michael Goodall, who grew up in Peachtree City, matched to pathology at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. An Augusta University graduate, he said, “I am excited for this opportunity to learn pathology in the building across the street from where I first found my passion for laboratory medicine – the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University.“
“It's so surreal and exciting! I am truly in shock when I tell myself ‘you did it, you're going to be someone's doctor,” Kiyana Harris (DO '23), said. “I cried when I found out I matched because it took so much for me to get here. I'm the first in my family to become a doctor and my journey to medicine has been a rough one.”
Harris continued, “I applied to medical school twice before getting accepted on my third attempt. I also took the MCAT twice and went back for a master's degree along with some work experience during my gap years. So to not let those rejections and detours steer me away from my dream feels absolutely amazing!”
She said, “For my next chapter, I can't wait to join and expand the two percent of Black psychiatrists that exist. I am even more honored to have matched with Morehouse School of Medicine. I'll be able to expand on my passion of helping disadvantaged populations. What makes it even more humbling is that I get to train ten minutes from where my grandmother was born and raised. Before she passed away, she told me I would fulfill my dream of becoming a doctor so, I can't help but think she helped me during my match process. I know there will still be challenges ahead, but I just have to remember where I came from. Thinking of it that way reminds me that there is nothing I cannot do.”
Prior to the noon hour on Match Day, Dr. Mann addressed her students by quoting Albert Einstein who said, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
She said, “And that is what you will all do. Whether you got your first or last choice or somewhere in the middle, you will be a resident physician. Every experience will make you the doctor that you set out to become.”
She advised the class members to “approach each day and each patient as an opportunity for growth. Embrace every second of your training because you are exactly where you are meant to be in every moment from here on out.”
“Remember who you are, whom you represent, and why you are on this journey.”
Established in 2005, PCOM Georgia is a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), a private, not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education with a storied 125-year history dedicated to the healthcare professions. Located in Suwanee (Gwinnett County), PCOM Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physical therapy. Graduate degrees are offered in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science and physician assistant studies. The campus joins PCOM South Georgia in Moultrie in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state. Emphasizing "a whole person" approach to care, PCOM Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education and service to the community. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit pcomgeorgiahealth.org.
Jamesia Harrison, MS
Assistant Director, News and Media Relations
Email: jamesiaha@pcom.edu
Office: 678-225-7532 | Cell: 470-572-7558
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