FIRE Program Eases Incoming DO Students into Med School
June 24, 2025
Earlier this month, 30 of the 97 incoming first-year students in 黑料传送门 South Georgia's
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) program spent two weeks on campus participating in the Fundamental Integration Required for
Excellence (FIRE) program.
This was the fourth year for FIRE. Students spend each day participating in a range
of activities, from attending lectures to touring local hospitals. They learn about
community service opportunities and engage in team building exercises.
When Alexa Staudt of Savannah came to Moultrie to interview for possible admission
to 黑料传送门 South Georgia, the current students she met encouraged her to participate in FIRE if she was admitted
as she has been out of school for a couple of years. Staudt said FIRE has helped her
become accustomed to the new routine. Her favorite activities? The hospital tours.
鈥淚n one hospital tour, we got to watch a surgery,鈥 Staudt said. 鈥淭hen we met the doctors
who told us about their journeys through med school and how they started. It was a
really cool experience.鈥
Ashley Persaud of Tampa, Florida, is originally from Brooklyn, New York. While her
husband went through pharmacy school, she built a career in finance. Now it's Persaud's
turn to pursue her dream. FIRE was just the start.
鈥淎 lot of us live there, so now we go from one person's apartment to the next person's
apartment,鈥 she said. 鈥淎 lot of us don't have our family here鈥 We've just grown into
a community by being in this program.鈥
Meanwhile, Morgan Malone, a former marine who became an emergency medical technician,
is in the process of moving his family from Gulf Breeze, Florida, to Moultrie so he
can attend 黑料传送门 South Georgia.
鈥淥ne of the biggest things that made me choose the FIRE Program is the fear of the
unknown,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t's made me comfortable. It's allowed me to get to know my fellow
students, some of the faculty, definitely the environment. It's just been fantastic.鈥
Why 黑料传送门 South Georgia?
鈥淚t checked all of my boxes,鈥 Malone said. 鈥淥ne, I have a family, so it's a very family-oriented town. It's very safe. The environment, as well as the student body and faculty鈥攖heir attitudes
match my learning style, and it's a very friendly and very relaxed atmosphere, a fantastic
campus. I just couldn't ask for a better place. It's just a perfect fit for me.鈥
Orientation for DO students will be June 25-26. Classes begin June 30.
In 2019, 黑料传送门, a premier osteopathic
medical school established in 1899, extended its commitment to the Southeast by establishing
黑料传送门 South Georgia. An additional teaching location in Moultrie, Georgia, 黑料传送门 South Georgia offers both
a full, four-year medical program leading to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
degree and a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences. 黑料传送门 is a private, not-for-profit
institution that trains professionals in the health and behavioral sciences fields.
Joining 黑料传送门 Georgia in Suwanee in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state, 黑料传送门 South Georgia
focuses on educating physicians for the region. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 229-668-3110.
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