The willingness to volunteer for the betterment of the community seems to be in the DNA of PCOM Georgia students. It’s very possible that those seeking careers in health care naturally have a desire to help people. Or it may be in the way our admissions committees take note of this attribute in the selection process.
Whatever it is, the people who live in Gwinnett and the surrounding areas are the beneficiaries of our 1,100 member student bodies’ desire to help.
This may be one of the reasons PCOM Georgia was selected as a finalist in the education category of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce Regional Impact Awards. According to the Chamber, the awards “recognize leading organizations in top industries that are driving economic development and job creation, while enhancing our quality of life.”
Just last weekend, 10 students from the PCOM Georgia physical therapy class of 2021 volunteered as “buddies” at the No Limits TryAthlon held in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Forty-one kids participated in swimming, biking and walk/run events with the help of a “buddy” while family members, therapists and community volunteers cheered them on.
“The TryAthlon sponsored by the All about Kids Therapy Services clinic is a great opportunity for community involvement with children with special needs and their families and PCOM Georgia students were happy to help with the event,” said Teresa Pierce, PT, DPT, assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy.
On the Tuesday prior, 22 physical therapy students volunteered at the Hall County Special Olympics held at Lanier High School. And this weekend, a PCOM Georgia Relay for Life Team will take to the track at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.
In addition to PCOM Georgia being named a finalist for the Regional Impact Awards, the Georgia First Foundation, a student-run organization, was also nominated. The foundation, with President Charbel Aoun (MS ’20) at its helm, provides mentors for 30 Lanier High School students.
The mentorship program is specifically for first generation students – those who are the first generation in their family to go to college. “We want to help these pioneers craft a pathway to make them the future leaders, forward thinkers and experts that we can turn to. We want to help them turn their aspirations into destinations,” Aoun said.
All in all, more than 40 student organizations continually search for ways to make their communities a better place to live. Clubs like the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the Internal Medicine Club, the Student Osteopathic Medical Association, PCOMFIT and the R.U.R.A.L. Club continue to make an impact on the members involved and the wider community.
PCOM Georgia has been serving students and the community for 20 years as a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), a private, not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education established in 1899. 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.
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