MOULTRIE, Ga. – The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) of South Georgia is helping high school students gain exposure to the healthcare field through their Opportunities Academy.

Stacie Fairley, Ph.D. PCOM South Georgia’s director of Interprofessional Education and assistant professor of microbiology and immunology, said there is a shortage of physicians in healthcare – especially within rural areas like Moultrie – and the Opportunities Academy will help decrease the shortage.

“Our goal [for the Opportunities Academy] is to help get at least one student to go to medical school or into the healthcare profession,” Fairley said in an interview Monday.

She added that if they expose students to programs like the Opportunities Academy, then more students from this area might choose to attend school and practice within this region. 

The academy is open to students in high school from rising ninth graders to graduating seniors. 

If there is a recent graduate who doesn’t have any plans for the summer but is interested in the program, Fairley would consider them for the academy as well. 

PCOM fully funds the program. It is available for students within the Southwest Georgia region at no cost. 

Fairley shared that she’s ecstatic to be a part of the school that helps fund career-oriented programs, and she wants to continue to help students gain exposure to the field.

Every fall term, the school reaches out to guidance counselors at surrounding high schools to explain the program and meet possible interested students.

The interested students will complete an application along with an approximately 250-word personal statement explaining their career goals and why they want to be in the medical field. 

“It’s always shocking and astonishing to read students’ reasons for wanting to join the medical field,” Fairley added.

The students will tour the PCOM South Georgia campus with their mentors. The mentors are all matched to students based on their profile or background.

Justice Dove, a lead mentor, said she was excited to be a part of the academy. She helped plan the curriculum and case for the week while recruiting other PCOM students to be mentors. 

“The most exciting task was planning the case,” Dove said in an interview Monday. 

The clinical case is similar to what physicians receive with patients at a doctor’s office.

Dove explained that they must consider several parts to a case when preparing for students including microbiology, physiology, pathology, anatomy and pharmacology. 

Each part allows students to learn the complexity and knowledge it takes to be within the medical field. 

“It’s cool to see how kids are willing to learn and explore the field,” Dove said. 

Students also participate in clinical skills simulations, heart and brain anatomy labs and learn CPR.

Students will learn how to calm a patient down and how to care for a cut or wound with their mentors through the “Stop the Bleed” simulation.

“I want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon and the academy will expose me to what is to come,” Jenna Dumas, a rising ninth-grade student from Cairo High School, shared.

Dumas also shared her excitement for hands-on opportunities like dissecting a heart. 

Kaeden Thigpen, a student from Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Miss., also attended the academy.

He said the academy will give him more of an idea of how to handle emergencies and skills for how to potentially give bad news to patients.  

“It will really help me narrow down a college that I want to go to,” Thigpen said.

Students also gain college readiness skills by learning about programs at PCOM and Southern Regional Technical College and the college application process.

They get to network with physicians and researchers and hear their experiences through the “My Path,” portion of the day. 

“Each person has a different experience or path when joining the field and it’s important for students to understand that they are not alone,” Fairley said. 

This year’s Opportunities Academy started from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Monday, June 27, to Friday, July 1. Each year, the length of the program varies from one to two weeks. 

PCOM also provides the lunch and only asks for parents to provide their student’s transportation and to abide by the school’s safety precautions.

To learn more information about the PCOM South Georgia, please refer to www.pcom.edu.