While completing his third-year medical school rotations in Moultrie, Dr. Stephen Yarbrough knew there was something special about Colquitt Regional and Georgia South Family Medicine Residency Program. Yarbrough was looking for a place with a rural setting and a diversified learning experience and that is exactly what he found at Georgia South.
“As a third and fourth year medical student rotating in Moultrie, I fell in love with the area and the people,” said Yarbrough. “Colquitt Regional appealed to me because of the people. Everyone in the hospital speaks to each other and you get to know most of the people you work with.”
From a young age, Yarbrough knew he wanted to help others through a career in the medical field and wanted a job that offered a varied, diverse environment.
“I knew I always wanted to make a difference in the lives of others by keeping them healthy and helping them get well in times of sickness,” said Yarbrough. “I also desired a career full of variety and medicine offered that.”
Yarbrough attended the University of Georgia where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Entomology. He then went on to complete his medical degree at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Suwanee, Georgia.
Yarbrough is in his first year of residency and has already gained invaluable, hands-on experience at Georgia South and Colquitt Regional.
“My experience at Georgia South has been great,” said Yarbrough. “I have been able to work one on one with my preceptors and participate in many procedures. I might not have been able to do that in other larger residency programs.”
One of the biggest determining factors in his decision to come to Georgia South was the opportunity to practice at a facility where its residents get exclusive access to patient care.
“Having the opportunity to train at an unopposed program was a major factor for me in selecting a residency program,” said Yarbrough.
Residency programs that are the only medical specialty in a hospital are considered unopposed programs.
“This would allow me to have free rein of working with other specialties or doing procedures in the hospital,” said Yarbrough.
Yarbrough’s long term goal is to practice in a rural setting somewhere close to his hometown, Fitzgerald, Georgia. He particularly enjoys keeping people well with a focus in preventative medicine.
When not practicing medicine, Yarbrough likes spending time outdoors in nature and cultivating his green thumb in the garden.
