Earlier this month, 30 of the 97 incoming first-year students in PCOM South Georgia's Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) program spent two weeks on campus participating in the Fundamental Integration Required for Excellence (FIRE) program.
This was the fourth year for FIRE. Students spend each day participating in a range of activities, from attending lectures to touring local hospitals. They learn about community service opportunities and engage in team building exercises.
When Alexa Staudt of Savannah came to Moultrie to interview for possible admission to PCOM South Georgia, the current students she met encouraged her to participate in FIRE if she was admitted as she has been out of school for a couple of years. Staudt said FIRE has helped her become accustomed to the new routine. Her favorite activities? The hospital tours.
“In one hospital tour, we got to watch a surgery,” Staudt said. “Then we met the doctors who told us about their journeys through med school and how they started. It was a really cool experience.”
Ashley Persaud of Tampa, Florida, is originally from Brooklyn, New York. While her husband went through pharmacy school, she built a career in finance. Now it's Persaud's turn to pursue her dream. FIRE was just the start.
“A lot of us live there, so now we go from one person's apartment to the next person's apartment,” she said. “A lot of us don't have our family here… We've just grown into a community by being in this program.”
Meanwhile, Morgan Malone, a former marine who became an emergency medical technician, is in the process of moving his family from Gulf Breeze, Florida, to Moultrie so he can attend PCOM South Georgia.
“One of the biggest things that made me choose the FIRE Program is the fear of the unknown,” he said. “It's made me comfortable. It's allowed me to get to know my fellow students, some of the faculty, definitely the environment. It's just been fantastic.”
Why PCOM South Georgia?
“It checked all of my boxes,” Malone said. “One, I have a family, so it's a very family-oriented town. It's very safe. The environment, as well as the student body and faculty—their attitudes match my learning style, and it's a very friendly and very relaxed atmosphere, a fantastic campus. I just couldn't ask for a better place. It's just a perfect fit for me.”
Orientation for DO students will be June 25-26. Classes begin June 30.
In 2019, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), a premier osteopathic medical school established in 1899, extended its commitment to the Southeast by establishing PCOM South Georgia. An additional teaching location in Moultrie, Georgia, PCOM South Georgia offers both a full, four-year medical program leading to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree and a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences. PCOM is a private, not-for-profit institution that trains professionals in the health and behavioral sciences fields. Joining PCOM Georgia in Suwanee in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state, PCOM South Georgia focuses on educating physicians for the region. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 229-668-3110.
For general media inquiries, please contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at 215-871-6300 or communications@pcom.edu. Visit our media relations page to view contact information for public relations personnel.
Cindy B. Montgomery
Public Relations and Social Media Manager
Office of Marketing and Communications
Email: cindymo@pcom.edu
Office: 229-668-3198 | Cell: 229-873-2003
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