Peter Bidey, DO '08, MSEd, FACOFP, dean of the osteopathic medical program at PCOM,
and local high school students from Holy Ghost Prep.
Nearly every Thursday for the last six months, Peter Bidey, DO ‘08, MSEd, FACOFP, dean of the osteopathic medical program at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), has had a weekly ritual.
He starts the day with early morning coffee and breakfast in the PCOM cafeteria before making his way across campus to the Hassman Family Medical Center on City Avenue.
Included in those breakfasts and usually not far behind on his trek to the healthcare center: two or three eager high school students, blue and red shields emblazoned on their chests, who will spend the day following Bidey as he meets with patients, engages with medical students, and leads a tour of PCOM’s clinical learning spaces, including the Saltzburg Clinical Learning & Assessment Center.
The students are from Holy Ghost Prep, a private, all-boys Catholic college-preparatory
high school in Bensalem, PA. Academically rigorous, the school enrolls nearly 450
students and aims to challenge young men through “interactive and engaging experiences
that amplify student learning.”
Putting that approach into practice, last fall officials at the school, led by science department chair Beth Bruno, developed a series of programs exploring careers in a variety of professional fields. The first of these planned specialized programs, the Medical Institute, debuted during the 2023-24 school year.
As part of the Medical Institute, students who have taken AP biology or AP anatomy/physiology are invited to participate in shadowing opportunities. Bidey, a graduate of the class of 2000, was approached to participate and was all too willing to be a part of this unique endeavor.
“This is such an innovative program that I wish existed when I was a student,” said Bidey. “Exposing students to careers in the health professions ensures we’re being good stewards of the knowledge we inherited from others—parents, teachers, mentors—to get where we are today. This experience has truly been a privilege, and I hope the students have gotten as much out of it as I have.”
Arriving on campus around 8 a.m., the students spend the better part of the day as flies on the wall in Bidey’s daily patient interactions as a physician in PCOM’s Hassman Family Medical Center. They also see how PCOM students interact and engage with patients, learning how to be doctors from the doctor.
“Sometimes when you have such a massive goal, like becoming a physician, it seems unattainable,” said Holy Ghost senior Dominic Gallo. “Being able to see
and experience that end goal gives me a lot of hope and excitement. I feel like now
I have insider information that no one else has. It honestly means the world.”
“Dr. Bidey has been so accommodating to our students,” said Kevin Burke, principal at Holy Ghost. “This partnership is allowing them to really see firsthand what being a medical student is like and will help our students determine whether they want to pursue a career in medicine themselves.”
The Medical Institute also includes daily instruction at Holy Ghost, including work on an anatomage table, and guest lectures.
It’s the first of multiple institutes that will be offered to Holy Ghost students. During the 2024-25 school year, two more institutes will be introduced—engineering and business—with a similar mix of hands-on and experiential learning opportunities.
The Medical Institute will culminate with a capstone project at the end of the school year done in conjunction with PCOM.
For the past 125 years, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms. PCOM, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. PCOM students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
Brandon Lausch
Executive Director, Strategic Communications
Email: brandonla@pcom.edu
Office: 215-871-6312 | Cell:
717-371-0609
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