Medical Education Can Be Painless
At least that is what I told
the residents when I was a program director in Emergency Medicine.
Now as Chairman of Medical Education, the underlying premise that
medical education can be painless still prevails, although the training
requirements and intensity are different.
The residency training programs at Akron General
Medical Center have a rich history of tradition. Our first training
program was established in the 1950's with a handful of residents.
Our programs have grown to encompass twelve residency training programs
for over 140 residents. Our medical education philosophy at Akron
General is simple. We want to provide the highest quality education
for our residents and medical students in the best environment by
the finest faculty on our medical staff.
When I came to AGMC from Chicago to do my residency
training, it was with the intention of returning to the "Midwest"
after I was done. Now, over 20 years later, I'm still here.
Why? Because choosing a career and choosing a lifestyle
are the two most important decisions I had to make when I finished
my residency. Not surprisingly, both are closely linked. Akron offers
the attractions of a nearby major city - professional sports, fine
dining, world-class symphony, beautiful lakes and water sports activities
- with the conveniences of a smaller community, such as affordable
housing, friendly neighbors, a great park system, bike and hike trails
and short commutes to work. Blend these attributes with practicing
state-of-the-art medicine at one of the of "Top
100 Best Hospitals" (US News and World Report 2003) and you
have all the ingredients for a successful career and family life.
Residency training is hard work requiring dedication,
skill and commitment. We recognize the duties and responsibilities
of our resident staff and try to blend fun with work. We accomplish
this through an active House Staff Association that sponsors a number
of resident parties including a yearly Halloween party as well as
a Christmas party. Additionally, individual departments frequently
take their residents out for "social/educational" rounds.
We are sincerely interested in the welfare and well being of our
house staff as well as their partners and to that end encourage
activities involving these very important people. Finally we hope
to convey a sense of fun through our enthusiasm for medical education
as it is administrated by our program directors, coordinators, chief
residents and staff in the Medical Education Department.
We
hope you will take this opportunity to review the programs that
Akron General Medical Center has to offer and encourage you to contact
us if you like what you see. I think you will find we have the correct
ingredients to provide you with quality Graduate Medical Education
in an environment where you can honestly say, "medical education
can be painless."
James M. Dougherty, MD, FACEP
Chairman of Medical Education
