Archbold Internal Medicine Residents Begin Rotations

Archbold Memorial Hospital's five internal medicine residents began their rotations this week.

The residents were officially welcomed to Archbold and Thomasville by members of the Archbold staff and community during a long white-coat ceremony last week. Long white coats represent the physicians' transition from medical school to residency.

These five physicians will spend the next three years at Archbold, rotating between specialties with an emphasis on internal medicine. They will also support the outpatient Internal Medicine Residency Clinic at 100 Mimosa Drive in Thomasville. The clinic will allow the residents to get hands-on experience in an outpatient clinical setting.

"We're so excited to welcome the residents to Thomasville and Archbold," said Kristopher Palmer, DO, FACOI, Archbold hospital medicine physician and Internal Medicine Residency Director. "This day has been a long time coming, and we are so grateful for all who supported us along the way."

South Georgia has a shortage of primary care physicians, and the new residency program will focus on training and retaining physicians who will stay in the area to practice. Residency programs are important to communities, especially in rural and underserved regions, because physicians are more likely to stay and practice within 60 miles of where they completed their residency training. Archbold's program will allow the region to grow its own physicians rather than solely recruiting from outside the area.