Colquitt Regional recently marked a new chapter in its graduate medical education journey. In June, the hospital welcomed its first surgical resident through a partnership with Emory University School of Medicine and the third surgical resident is currently completing their rotation at Colquitt Regional.
Colquitt Regional has worked for over a decade to build capacity for medical students and residents to train on site. The hospital has focused on providing an exceptional clinical learning environment, dedicated physician advisors, and a unique opportunity to experience medical practice in a community-based hospital setting.
“Medical education has become a key part of our health system’s strategy for future growth,” said Colquitt Regional President and CEO Jim Matney. “We have an exceptional medical staff that loves to teach, and in turn, we are building a pipeline of providers to sustain access to healthcare. We have always had a ‘Why not Moultrie?’ perspective, and it has served us well. Our newest partnership with Emory builds on a solid foundation of training doctors at the beginning of their medical careers, and we are pleased to have the chance to work with such a prestigious partner.”
The success of Georgia South Family Medicine and Psychiatry Residency Programs builds on a strategy that will create a sustainable path to protect access to healthcare for generations to come. Now, the hospital is taking on an exciting new opportunity to partner with Emory to become a training site for general surgeons.
“Since the introduction of our residency programs, we have been looking to establish a partnership such as this one,” said Matney. “Jessica Rivenbark, Colquitt Regional Vice President of Medical Education, and her team have been instrumental in laying the foundation for these surgical residents to train here at Colquitt Regional.”
Training to complete a general surgery residency takes five years, and residents undergo a comprehensive curriculum. For residents in their third, fourth, and fifth years of training, Colquitt Regional will provide a rural rotation, a chance to practice in a community-based setting where residents will acquire a level of expertise in patient management from pre-op through post-operative care.
Dr. Howard Melton will serve as the site director for the rotation, providing guidance and instruction to the incoming Emory residents.
“We have an outstanding surgical team, incredible facilities, and the ability to train doctors in an array of general surgery procedures that they would not necessarily get at a large teaching institution,” said Melton. “We now have the chance to partner with one of the finest residency programs in the country. This new rural rotation represents the best of what community hospitals do well, and I am proud that we will have a chance to demonstrate the skill and talent of rural Georgia to so many Emory residents.”
The hospital will have twelve residents a year rotating at Colquitt Regional. Emory’s program director, Dr. Jahnavi Srinivasan, values a balanced curriculum where residents mature into skilled surgeons through a variety of clinical experiences.
“Rural rotations provide residents with a greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities for patients in rural communities,” said Srinivasan. “These collaborative relationships allow our surgical residents to truly understand what it is like to practice in rural communities and in some instances, make a decision to practice in areas classically described as ‘under-served’. It also improves their ability to help rural partners from an informed perspective should they choose academic urban practice and see referrals from rural communities.”
This partnership marks a milestone for graduate medical education at Colquitt Regional and is something that the hospital has been working towards for some time now.
“As always, I am proud to be part of the leadership team at Colquitt Regional,” said Hospital Authority Chairman Richard E. Turner, Jr. “We are always looking for ways to improve the accessibility and quality of healthcare in our community. This partnership with Emory is the culmination of many years of strategic planning and collaboration and will play a key role in our physician recruitment efforts for years to come.”
Colquitt Regional is a 99-bed teaching hospital located in Moultrie, Georgia. With over 100 providers, more than 30 specialties and 1,350 employees, Colquitt Regional is committed to providing exceptional healthcare that exceeds expectations for Colquitt County and the surrounding areas.
