b'HEALTHCAREWhat is Osteopathicthat many indicate they plan to practice in rural or underserved areas. Medicine? In fact, it is a rural community - Kirksville, Missouri - that is known as the birthplace of osteopathic medicine. In the late Barbara Myers 19th century, Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO, realized that his eras Public Relations Manager, PCOM Georgia medical practices often caused more harm than good. The system of medicine he would develop promoted the bodys F or the past two and a half years, the South Georgiaability to self-heal. He called this process osteopathy, which isCheck Us Outcommunity has been awaiting the regions new, four-yearwhat is now known as osteopathic medicine.With the healthcare field shifting towards a focus on patient-medical program in Moultrie, Georgia. The newest location ofcentered care and wellness, osteopathic medicine is poised toOn Social Media!Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, PCOM Southmeet these changes head-on, as this focus has been a basic Georgiathe regions only four-year medical programopenedtenet of the profession since its founding. And with a more/SouthGeorgiaMagazine/in August to great fanfare. Now that the celebrations have diedthan 120-year tradition of training highly competent and caring health practitioners, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic/SouthGAMagdown, the inaugural class of 59 students is learning how toMedicine and its newest location, PCOM South Georgia, are practice osteopathic medicinebut what does this mean? well-suited to help meet the healthcare needs of the region. /SouthGeorgiaMagazine/pcom.eduThe simple answer is that, like an MD (doctor of medicine), a DOdisease and assess injury just as MDs do, but they have an (doctor of osteopathic medicine), is a fully-qualified physicianadditional tool in their toolbox: osteopathic manipulative licensed to practice medicine in the United States. Both MDsmedicine (OMM), through which DO students are taught to use and DOs typically attend medical school for four years; thetheir hands to diagnose and treat illness and injury. first two years focus on classroom learning, while the lastDO students take approximately 200 additional hours ofWith You For Lifetwo years are spent in the field practicing with clinical faculty members. That said, there are some differences between thetraining in OMM. These techniques teach that form influences two professions.function, and through the hands-on manipulation of muscles and tissues, students learn how to alleviate pain and restore Most notably, there is a difference in approach. DOs practice amotion and natural function to the body, as well as help the whole-person approach to healthcareone that sees past thebody function more efficiently.illness or disease to consider the health impact of other factors such as lifestyle and community, and work to address andWhats more, osteopathic medicine continues to growTift Regional Medical Center (TRMC)remove barriers that may impede a healthy life. DOs considerexponentially; in 2018, the AOA reported an 85 percent increaseTRMC West Campus andin DO students over the previous 10 years, and a report releasedMusculoskeletal Centertheir patients as partners on this journey, not just through injurySouthwell Medical andand disease prevention, but also through health education.in early 2019 from the American Association of Colleges ofSouthwell Health and Rehabilitation Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) found that for the first timePrimary Care and Specialty Care ClinicsThe American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the professionalever, DO students accounted for more than one out of every organization for more than 145,000 DOs and DO students infour medical students in the US. That same report showed anFind a provider at mySouthwell.comthe US, defines the osteopathic approach to medicine as onealmost seven percent increase in total enrollment year-over- More than 30 specialtiesthat focuses on prevention and helping to promote the bodysyear at the nations 38 colleges of osteopathic medicineto a natural tendency toward health and self-healing.Additionally,total of nearly 31,000. Downloadthrough the use of standardized and simulated patients,the FREEDO students have the chance to practice their all-importantDOs can be found practicing in rural and urban settings, in theTift Regionalmilitary and civilian world, and in all of the same specialties asAppTodaycommunication skills with a wide variety of individuals. their MD counterparts. AACOM reports more than 30 percent of As fully licensed physicians, DOs are able to prescribe medicine,DO graduates choose to practice in primary care fields such as901 E. 18TH STREET, TIFTON 260 MJ TAYLOR ROAD, ADELconduct surgery and use cutting-edge technology to diagnosefamily medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN and internal medicine, and229-382-7120229-896-8000 Emergency Services at Tift Regional Medical Center only30 SG MAGAZINE | WINTER 2020 BUSINESS + CULTURE 31'