Just two years ago, Alysha Leonard, DO walked around the Harvest Center in Lakewood Ranch, scouting out potential clinical rotation and residency opportunities during the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine’s annual Hospital Day event.
Dr. Leonard, who just graduated in June from LECOM’s Bradenton, Fla., campus, was lending her expertise to current students interested in clinical and graduate medical education programs at Larkin Community Hospital in South Miami, Fla.
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| LECOM alumni Laura McGill, DO (’11); Matthew Bowser, DO (’10) and Emily Essert, DO (’10) talk to LECOM second-year medical students about residency opportunities during the College’s annual Hospital Day. |
“It’s very rewarding to share the knowledge I have gained at LECOM the past four years with future physicians,” said Dr. Leonard. “What I learned through the problem-based learning curriculum at LECOM was simply amazing.”
Leonard was joined by a host of LECOM alumni from various medical institutions across the country. Hospital Day is a time for LECOM second-year osteopathic medical students to learn about clinical rotations, internships and residency options that are available at hospitals and wellness centers.
Zachary Griggs (OMS2) said he likes talking to alumni because they “tell it like it is.”
“They (alumni) have been in the position that we are in now,” he said. “They are very objective and give us a true perspective as to what opportunities are available to us now and in the future.”
Thirty-three medical institutions from nine states participated in the event, including Millcreek Community Hospital in Erie, Pa. and Manatee Memorial Hospital, Blake Medical Center and Manatee Glens in Bradenton.
“Hospital day is very important both for the institutions and the students who attend,” said Robert George, DO, LECOM associate dean of academic affairs. “The purpose of hospital day is to allow students to inquire as to various clinical rotations and residencies that will be available to them upon graduation.”