At Resurgens Orthopaedics, we know that education is the key to creating the leaders of tomorrow. On Higher Education Day, we think it's important to highlight the value of getting an education, whether you're studying medicine or any other subject. The talented physicians and surgeons we employ were once undergraduate students who studied hard and went through years of additional education to learn the skills they now use to improve and even save the lives of our patients every day. If you're a young person who's interested in pursuing the medical profession as a career, we want you to know that it takes a lot of hard work and dedication, and while the road may be difficult, the rewards of your education will make it all worthwhile. We spoke to Dru Adams, who is currently working as a certified medical assistant in our North Region; here's more about his educational journey up to this point, and what the future holds for him.
As a certified medical assistant, Dru serves as Resurgens Orthopaedics' North Region Float - that means he gets to work under a number of different doctors, helping them with administrative tasks, preparing patients for their appointments, and even doing hands-on work with patients like imaging and removing stitches. While it is possible to serve in this position without obtaining a 4-year degree, Resurgens Orthopaedics prefers to hire medical assistants who have completed their undergraduate coursework. Getting an undergrad degree before working as a medical assistant also carries other advantages when students are pursuing placement in the country's top medical schools.
Dru himself has already completed a degree in cellular biology at University of Georgia, as well as an additional certification in medical assisting; something he says was a huge advantage to him in obtaining his current position at Resurgens, and in being accepted to medical school.
"Applying to medical school, they like to see a lot of work experience and time spent with actual patients in a medical setting," says Dru, "While [a 4-year degree and MA certification] wasn't required, I'm not exactly sure I would have had the same advantage on my application for medical school had I not gotten this job."
By going above and beyond with his undergraduate studies and extracurricular activities, Dru Adams is proud to say he's been accepted to the Medical College of Georgia and will be starting medical school in August. After 2 years of classroom study there, he'll begin performing clinical rotations in various fields for 2 more years before beginning his 4-year residency at a medical facility. During that time, he'll work under an attending physician to learn the ropes of his chosen specialty. While Dru is unsure what specialty he'll select, he says his time at Resurgens has him leaning towards orthopaedics.
"Because of my time here with Resurgens, I definitely want to pursue orthopaedics... but that's not something I have to decide until about my third or fourth year of medical school," he says.
While Dru says he's open to doing his residency in another state, he wouldn't mind staying close to home as he finishes his education. He even likes to joke to the staff at Resurgens Orthopaedics that they might see his name on a job application in 8 or 10 years!
For any young people out there who are thinking about pursuing medicine as a career, Dru says the key is to get that hands-on experience early, during, and even before your undergraduate education. "Get as much exposure to the clinical setting as you can. There are certainly a lot of volunteering opportunities at hospitals; I was actually doing some volunteering as a teenager here at Northside Hospital," says Dru, adding that patients can definitely tell the difference between a medical assistant who has had hands-on experience and one who hasn't.
With only a handful of weeks to go before he heads off to medical school, all of us at Resurgens Orthopaedics would like to thank Dru Adams for his hard work and dedication to helping our patients achieve the best outcomes. Good luck in medical school and we hope to work with you again in the future!