Meet the Future of Healthcare

Recently, three residents from Piedmont Athens Regional’s (PAR) Graduate Medical Education (GME) residency program sat down with the PAR Foundation to discuss what a day in the life of a resident looks like.

Meet Saint-Martin, Nick, and Nkechi, first year residents with PAR’s GME program. Although these three residents come to Athens from all across the globe (Nigeria, Ghana, and Texas) and their interests vary from Critical Care to Radiology, they share a similar purpose: to make a positive difference in the lives of the patients they treat and the families they serve.

Nothing describes living out your purpose quite like the life of a resident. From making phone calls to assist patients with enrolling in food security programs, talking to pharmacists about medication savings for a patient, or finding nutritional supplement resources – residents are learning to treat the whole patient. PAR residents not only practice in the hospital but also through the Community Care Clinic (CCC) – where patients from the 17-county service area are treated regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

An average of 75 patients are referred to the CCC each month from PAR’s Emergency Department. Some of these patients use the Emergency Department as their primary healthcare provider and need long-term healthcare planning and education for more positive patient outcomes. This is where residents step in to make sure all healthcare needs are met for patients (and sometimes their family members), through PAR’s transition of care model.

What keeps them motivated? A balanced educational program with opportunities to be a student of medicine where they are regularly exposed to the many facets of what a large healthcare system provides to its patients. For many residents, adapting to their program includes adapting to an entirely new culture with new medical technology. Being part of a diverse program is exciting for Nick Emamifar who was most interested in the diversity of residents, extensive faculty network and regular guest speakers from different medical backgrounds.

The future of healthcare is evolving every day, and supporting the education and training of our future physicians plays a vital role in their success tomorrow. With your support of the Mint Jubilee, we can reach our goal of raising $150,000.00 to support expanding educational resources for residents through the creation of a simulation lab.