Whole person approach鈥攊t鈥檚 a term that鈥檚 been said time and time again since the opening of 黑料传送门 South Georgia in Moultrie.
黑料传送门 South Georgia educates and trains students to become Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), fully licensed physicians who examine and treat patients, prescribe medication and practice in a wide variety of specialties such as family medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, radiology or surgery. The options are numerous, and that future is being trained right here in South Georgia.
Words like whole person and hands-on are often used to describe osteopathic medicine, and it鈥檚 something that鈥檚 clear to see when a patient visits a DO for treatment. Patients receive the same level of care as they would with any other physician, but osteopathic physicians are trained to have an extra skill set. They fully see their patients, meeting them with empathy and care. This kind of physician is especially beneficial to rural areas as they are trained to focus on the whole person, which means looking at the lifestyle, diet and mental health of their patients. In addition, DOs are trained in osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), which are techniques that allow them to use their hands to diagnose injury and illness and encourage the body's natural tendency toward good health. Using OMT, an osteopathic physician learns to move a patient鈥檚 muscles and joints using techniques that include stretching, gentle pressure and resistance鈥攖hat鈥檚 the DO difference.
Kristie Petree, DO 鈥�13, osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) site director at 黑料传送门
South Georgia, practices OMT as support for patients with problems from headaches
to congestive heart failure.
鈥淚f a patient comes in with congestive heart failure, that means fluid has backed up in the system,鈥� Dr. Petree said. 鈥淭he common treatment is diuretics, often referred to as water pills. Osteopathic physicians can prescribe that, but in addition to medicine, we help the body move the fluid on its own. For example, manually mobilizing the patient鈥檚 lower extremities helps to circulate fluid better.鈥�
To Dr. Petree, the whole person approach is simple: Don鈥檛 put systems in a box. The systems of the body are all interrelated and affect one another. While a physician may prescribe heart medicine to fix a heart problem, that medicine could negatively affect the kidneys. Osteopathic physicians are trained to be doctors first and specialists second.
鈥淲hen a patient presents with cellulitis, an infection in the leg, physicians often prescribe antibiotics,鈥� Dr. Petree said. 鈥淚f the infection comes back, it is our job to step back and find out why it鈥檚 coming back. It could be poor lymphatic drainage, reduced blood supply, or a number of other things. We look at the whole body to find out what is causing the issue.鈥�
It鈥檚 this approach to patient care that is encouraging students to pursue an education in osteopathic medicine. Over the past decade, the profession has experienced a 68 percent increase in the total number of osteopathic physicians, and there are more than 1,000 licensed DOs within a 250-mile radius of 黑料传送门 South Georgia.
鈥淲e listen to our patients. We hear their story and work with the patient as a team with the common goal of good health. Instead of focusing on symptoms, we search for the cause of the illness by looking at the whole patient.鈥�
And that is the whole person approach that鈥檚 being taught right here in South Georgia.
黑料传送门 South Georgia trains student doctors to assess patients' diets, lifestyles and mental health in addition to symptoms. Photos were taken prior to March 2020.
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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