Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) is expanding its internal medicine residency program.
The healthcare system recently added a third location at Highlands ARH Regional Medical Center in Prestonsburg.
Quality Training
Four resident physicians will be training at Highlands ARH.
Dr. Jonathan Piercy, who serves as ARH’s Internal Medical Program Director, said residents will work in monthly rotations gaining experience in areas such as emergency room, ICU and specialty care.
“We’ve been very successful in the five years since the program began and I think Highlands will help us continue with that success,” said Piercy. “It has a strong internal medicine faculty and a good mix of internal medicine patients, both in the inpatient and outpatient setting, so the residents will have a lot to work with and learn from.”
ARH’s residency training program was established in 2019 with locations in Harlan and Whitesburg.
Since its inception, ARH has graduated three classes of residents.
“When you see the difference between their first day and their final day, it really is amazing,” said Piercy. “You watch them gain confidence and grow into themselves as physicians. They learn so fast and they work so hard to become these talented, wonderful physicians.
Dr. Mitchell Wicker, who serves as the Designated Institutional Official for ARH’s Graduate Medical Education program, said residency is when the newly minted doctors transition from textbook training to hands-on learning.
The residents will get an overview of all the aspects of general adult medicine while under the supervision of attending physicians.
“When individuals come out of medical school they have some idea of what it means to be a physician, but residency is when they really learn how to be a physician,” said Wicker.
Wicker grew up in Detroit, but has long called eastern Kentucky home.
He emphasized small-town living does not mean small-town medicine.
“The type of medicine we practice is the type of medicine you see in big cities,” said Wicker. “It’s quality medicine and quality care.”
Care For Appalachia’s People
Highlands ARH Regional Medical Center is a 192-bed facility serving Floyd, Johnson, Martin and Magoffin counties in Kentucky.
Established in 1972, the facility was acquired by Appalachian Regional Healthcare on August 1, 2019, becoming the 13th hospital in the ARH system.
The 192-bed acute care hospital offers a variety of services including behavioral health, heart and vascular care, labor and delivery, oncology, pulmonology, cardiology, orthopedics and sports medicine.
Additionally, the hospital operates both an inpatient and two outpatient pharmacies.
Dr. Joshua Minix, who serves as the Associate Program Director and the Site Director at Highlands, said ARH’s internal medicine residency program is no different from the standardized residency programs across the country, except those in the program will be living in Appalachia, immersed in Appalachian culture and taking care of Appalachian patients.
ARH leaders believe the residency program not only serves as a training ground for young physicians, but also as a recruitment tool for ARH.
“One of the best ways to recruit physicians is to welcome them into your community,” said Wicker. “Each of our ARH hospitals is located in small, tightknit communities. We say ARH is family and those aren’t just words. Our program allows residents opportunities to learn, grow and thrive as they are welcomed into an organization that cares for and is committed to both its patients and its employees.
For more information, visit www.arh.org.
