GOLDSBORO, North Carolina – Campbell University medical students began making rounds Monday July 27th at Wayne Memorial Hospital and four other Regional Campuses across North Carolina under the training partnerships established with community hospitals and clinics.
Dr. Jerry M. Wallace, namesake of the medical school and Chancellor of Campbell University, and medical school dean, Dr. John M. Kauffman visited with the students training at Wayne Memorial Hospital and hospital staff on Tuesday, November 24th to celebrate this next step in Campbell medical education becoming a reality.
“Today marks the culmination of five years of hard work,” said medical school dean John M. Kauffman. “Students, your first four rotations are complete. You are receiving a great education and hands-on experience. We are grateful for this partnership with Wayne Memorial Hospital – together we are training the next generation of physicians.”
The 22 medical students training at Wayne Memorial Hospital have spent the past two years studying at Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine in Buies Creek. They will spend the next two years learning hands-on medicine alongside Wayne Memorial’s physician medical staff while living in the Goldsboro area and becoming members of the community.
“This is a win-win relationship for all of us,” said president and CEO of Wayne Memorial Hospital, William Paugh. “We hope you like what you are doing and that you will stay.”
“This is a transforming process – brining medical education to a community,” added Dr. Greg Nichols, an OB/GYN at Wayne Memorial Hospital who teaches Campbell medical students. “This relationship will continue to prosper the community and the good quality of healthcare for generations to come.”
According to Dr. Robin King-Thiele, assistant regional dean for Campbell, statistics show 37% of the medical students will come back to practice in Goldsboro. Dr. King-Thiele has a passion for training the students beyond the walls of the hospital – she has led them to being engaged with the community through service projects and events. “Last weekend, medical students and physical therapy students from Campbell were part of a team of 300 volunteers who partnered with the City of Goldsboro, WayneFirst, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and KaBoom! to build a new playground in Goldsboro’s historic Herman Park. Our students love giving back outside of their role as student doctors, and we know these projects help them connect with the community.”
Two medical students, Jamie Weaver Campbell – a North Carolina native – and Jonathan Stormer – from rural Michigan – also shared testimonials Tuesday regarding why they chose the Goldsboro community as the location to continue their medical education.
“When I was a child I wanted to be a pioneer like Davy Crocket or Daniel Boone,” said Stormer. “While my career ambitions have changed, I don’t think I have ever lost that pioneer spirit which is why being a part of the inaugural class at CUSOM was so appealing to me. In fact, it’s also what drew me to Wayne Memorial Hospital since there were no other medical students or residency programs here. I enjoy the challenges and adjustments of being first and paving the way.”
Both students described the truly hands-on experiences they have enjoyed at Sampson Regional Hospital, Wayne Memorial, and the other clinics affiliated with the Campbell in the region.
“We are often one-on-one with our preceptors, and they are eager to teach through every step of caring for the patients,” said Stormer.
“Practicing medicine is a privilege,” reflected Dr. Nichols. “Part of that privilege is to be a teacher and to be a lifelong learner – it is a privilege to have students come and motivate us – students ask really thoughtful and educated questions, so it keeps us on our toes to be able to articulate why these are good medical practices.”
“Goldsboro became important early in the feasibility study for the medical school,” said Dr. Jerry Wallace. “We gathered a group of osteopathic physicians from Goldsboro together one evening to discuss the possibility of a new medical school meeting the healthcare needs identified in the report by the North Carolina Institute of Medicine and that conversation became a dawning moment for the medical school.”
Twenty-two additional Campbell medical students will begin rotations in Goldsboro in July 2016.