The new director of Gwinnett Medical Center’s Residency Program, Dr. Mark Darrow, spoke to the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville at noon on October 28. Dr. Darrow began by describing his experience in running residency programs elsewhere. He asserted that one goal of the residency program is to get more primary care doctors in the region; more primary care doctors will particularly aid uninsured and under-insured individuals in our area. He outlined the four years of college and four years of medical school required before the three-to-five year residency and described the educational debt level of the young residents. GWC wants to attract two types of doctors: MDs and DOs. He explained the Doctor of Osteopathy degree as one with a more holistic approach to medicine. Accreditation has to be achieved before the program opens from the ACGME and AOA accrediting bodies. He described good progress to date: he has been hired as Director; they have a Program Director in Family Medicine; and construction of a Center has started. They expect to add five residents per year until they have a program of about 30. Funding for the program comes from GMC, the State, grants, and some federal CMS funds. He emphasized the importance of the community when interviewing prospective residents and asserted they were looking for medical residents who will plan to stay in the area.

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