Medical Students Volunteer to Administer Vaccines
March 30, 2021 As volunteers, all students are vaccinated and wear the proper PPE to participate
                        in the drive-through vaccine clinic.
As volunteers, all students are vaccinated and wear the proper PPE to participate
                        in the drive-through vaccine clinic.
                  
                  
                  
                  After a curriculum change brought on by COVID-19 allowed medical students to learn
                     vaccination techniques earlier in their education, PCOM South Georgia's Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) students are now volunteering in vaccination efforts at Moultrie’s local hospital.
                  
                  In addition to learning inoculations in the primary care skills course, the medical
                     students also completed additional training and are certified by the CDC to administer
                     vaccines.
                  
                  And keeping in line with the mission of PCOM South Georgia, students are taking that training to their local hospital, Colquitt Regional, to
                     volunteer at the drive through vaccination clinic. The second-year DO students are
                     assisting with screening patients, administering vaccines and documenting doses.
                  
                  “We have been most impressed by the PCOM students who have stepped forward to volunteer
                     at our COVID vaccination clinics,” said Colquitt Regional President and CEO, Jim Matney.
                     “Their skills and work ethic are solid. With a task as large as vaccinating an entire
                     community, it’s important to use all of our resources, and PCOM students have been
                     an invaluable partner for us.”
                  
                  Miles McCabe (DO ‘23) has volunteered multiple times at Colquitt Regional and administered
                     the vaccine to a number of Moultrie residents.
                  
                  “I really enjoy the patient contact and have met some very unique people from the
                     community,” McCabe said. “One thing I have noticed is that all the patients are so
                     thankful and appreciative. The staff from Colquitt Regional emanates positive energy
                     and the patients are happy to receive their doses of the vaccine. Everyone is doing
                     their part to progress in overcoming the pandemic together.”
                  
                  McCabe added, “I look forward to Fridays because I am outside interacting with others
                     and using skills we have learned in the classroom. I feel honored to have this opportunity
                     to work alongside healthcare providers in the field and to serve patients. This has
                     been an exciting opportunity to create a positive impact in the Moultrie community.“
                  
                  With clinical rotations coming up in July, Ravi Soni (DO ‘23) said volunteering at
                     Colquitt Regional has given him a chance to work with his future colleagues. Alongside
                     the employees at the hospital, he’s vaccinated nearly 60 community members.
                  
                  Soni said, “I’ll be rotating in Moultrie next year, so it’s been great to meet and
                     work with some of the staff through this vaccination effort. We learn so much in class,
                     but it’s important to be able to really participate in patient care, and it’s so rewarding
                     to help people. I left knowing that 300+ people are now vaccinated. It’s great to
                     know we’re helping to make our community safer.”
                  
                  
                   
                  
                  
                  
                                    
                     
                     
                        
                        About PCOM South Georgia
                        
                        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.
                        
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