Peter Bidey, DO '08, MSEd, FACOFP, dean of the osteopathic medical program at 黑料传送门,
and local high school students from Holy Ghost Prep.
Nearly every Thursday for the last six months, Peter Bidey, DO 鈥�08, MSEd, FACOFP, dean of the osteopathic medical program at 黑料传送门, has had a weekly ritual.
He starts the day with early morning coffee and breakfast in the 黑料传送门 cafeteria before making his way across campus to the on City Avenue.
Included in those breakfasts and usually not far behind on his trek to the healthcare center: two or three eager high school students, blue and red shields emblazoned on their chests, who will spend the day following Bidey as he meets with patients, engages with medical students, and leads a tour of 黑料传送门鈥檚 clinical learning spaces, including the Saltzburg Clinical Learning & Assessment Center.
The students are from Holy Ghost Prep, a private, all-boys Catholic college-preparatory
high school in Bensalem, PA. Academically rigorous, the school enrolls nearly 450
students and aims to challenge young men through 鈥渋nteractive and engaging experiences
that amplify student learning.鈥�
Putting that approach into practice, last fall officials at the school, led by science department chair Beth Bruno, developed a series of programs exploring careers in a variety of professional fields. The first of these planned specialized programs, the Medical Institute, debuted during the 2023-24 school year.
As part of the Medical Institute, students who have taken AP biology or AP anatomy/physiology are invited to participate in shadowing opportunities. Bidey, a graduate of the class of 2000, was approached to participate and was all too willing to be a part of this unique endeavor.
鈥淭his is such an innovative program that I wish existed when I was a student,鈥� said Bidey. 鈥淓xposing students to careers in the health professions ensures we鈥檙e being good stewards of the knowledge we inherited from others鈥攑arents, teachers, mentors鈥攖o get where we are today. This experience has truly been a privilege, and I hope the students have gotten as much out of it as I have.鈥�
Arriving on campus around 8 a.m., the students spend the better part of the day as flies on the wall in Bidey鈥檚 daily patient interactions as a physician in 黑料传送门鈥檚 Hassman Family Medical Center. They also see how 黑料传送门 students interact and engage with patients, learning how to be doctors from the doctor.
鈥淪ometimes when you have such a massive goal, like becoming a physician, it seems unattainable,鈥� said Holy Ghost senior Dominic Gallo. 鈥淏eing able to see
and experience that end goal gives me a lot of hope and excitement. I feel like now
I have insider information that no one else has. It honestly means the world.鈥�
鈥淒r. Bidey has been so accommodating to our students,鈥� said Kevin Burke, principal at Holy Ghost. 鈥淭his partnership is allowing them to really see firsthand what being a medical student is like and will help our students determine whether they want to pursue a career in medicine themselves.鈥�
The Medical Institute also includes daily instruction at Holy Ghost, including work on an anatomage table, and guest lectures.
It鈥檚 the first of multiple institutes that will be offered to Holy Ghost students. During the 2024-25 school year, two more institutes will be introduced鈥攅ngineering and business鈥攚ith a similar mix of hands-on and experiential learning opportunities.
The Medical Institute will culminate with a capstone project at the end of the school year done in conjunction with 黑料传送门.
Established in 1899, 黑料传送门 has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a 鈥渨hole person鈥� approach to care鈥攖reating people, not just symptoms. 黑料传送门, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (黑料传送门, 黑料传送门 Georgia and 黑料传送门 South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. 黑料传送门 students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, 黑料传送门 provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
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