GME enriches the UME experience

In addition to undergraduate medical education, Geisinger has 31 accredited residency programs in a variety of specialties and subspecialties, from anesthesiology to urology, as well as 27 accredited fellowships. The medical student/resident relationship is mutually enriching. Residents and fellows have the opportunity to teach and mentor, and medical students benefit from having the chance to see what residency/fellowship is really like, up close and personal.

Sarah Bashaw Hayek, MD ’15

Sarah Bashaw Hayek, MD, a fourthyear surgical resident at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, said there was one thing for which she was eminently prepared on day one of the program. As a 2015 graduate of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, she said her medical education laid a solid foundation in professional identity formation and it gave her a tremendous boost in residency. “I had a leg up on figuring out how to be a professional,” she said. “One of the most valuable lessons I learned at Geisinger Commonwealth was that I’d spend a long time training — during all the young years of my life — and that I couldn’t look at it as a pause. It’s not a pause. This is real life and you have to keep living it.”

This simple but powerful insight, coupled with time-management skills Dr. Hayek attributes to Geisinger Commonwealth’s longitudinal integrated curriculum, resulted in her being named intern of the year at the end of her initial year in residency. She has also won an award for professionalism.

Her experiences in residency have been, she said, “wonderful so far.” She has grown close to her fellow residents and has high praise for the surgeons teaching her. “The surgical attendings teach because they love it and that’s apparent,” she said. “They are very invested in making us great surgeons, but they also look out for us and try to create a family atmosphere. The faculty is committed to us all the time.” In this way, she said, her experiences at Geisinger Medical Center mirror those she had at Geisinger Commonwealth. For this reason, she said, she was “thrilled” at the integration of medical school and health system.

As for her future, Dr. Hayek said she is entirely open to staying in the region. She and her husband, Andrew, an engineer, have a home in Bloomsburg and have recently welcomed their first child, Abigail. The Vermont native said that, in addition to her career in surgery, she hopes to eventually teach medical students or residents. She’s already begun honing her teaching skills. She’s been mentoring 2017 Geisinger Commonwealth graduate Josh Cole, MD. “Surgery has a reputation for being hard on residents. Our program director is wonderful, inspiring — so I haven’t had that experience,” she said. “I’m happy now to have the chance to return the favor.”

Jake Parrick, MD ’19

Jake Parrick chose to become a doctor because he wanted to give back to his community. “Give back” is a trite phrase, but Dr. Parrick’s experience with the power of community was anything but banal.

He had just started classes as a freshman at Wilkes University when the rain began. By the time it stopped, he had a completely different outlook on himself and his neighbors. “It was September 2011 and I was living with my family in my childhood home in Duryea. Weather reports said the rain had affected the Lackawanna River right behind our house, but we couldn’t see much difference, so we weren’t worried. Then the National Guard came knocking and warned people to leave. My mom and sister did, but my dad and I figured we’d ride it out,” Dr. Parrick said. Remaining in the home was no longer an option when the pair looked out their kitchen window and saw waves of water coming through the fence in their backyard. After their narrow escape, the family came home to complete devastation. Fortunately, every day, an army of volunteers swarmed the neighborhood’s homes. “People would just walk in and start working, pulling down drywall, bringing food and supplies. People we didn’t even know. I was overwhelmed by their generosity,” he said.

The experience drove Dr. Parrick’s desire to excel in his undergraduate studies so he could attend medical school. It was also influential in his choice of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. “I wanted to remain in the northeastern Pennsylvania area to serve the community I grew up in,” he said. Dr. Parrick is now a psychiatry resident at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. “I chose psychiatry because it really enables the clinician to form lasting deep relationships with patients,” he said.

He is also pleased that his training continues to put his community at the forefront. “Geisinger Commonwealth places great emphasis on service. Students are not only encouraged but required to get involved. So, I like that The Wright Center has that community focus, too. I chose to be a doctor because I wanted to serve. My training is helping me to achieve that dream.”

Gina Baiamonte, MD ’20

Despite COVID-19 restrictions, Gina Baiamonte was overjoyed on Match Day 2020. Not only did she match into one of the more competitive medical specialties — emergency medicine — but she also landed a spot in her firstchoice program: Geisinger.

“I was lucky because of all the preparation I got at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine,” she said.

One major advantage Dr. Baiamonte got from Geisinger Commonwealth, she said, was being required to complete a two-week rotation in emergency medicine in her third year. “That was really fortunate,” she said. “Most schools don’t have such a requirement, so most students don’t get to experience the Emergency Department until their fourth year, when it may be too late. I, for one, was certain I wanted to be a surgeon. It was that two-week rotation that changed my mind.”

Dr. Baiamonte said she was captivated by the pace and the breadth of knowledge required in the Emergency Department. “In my first and second years, I loved everything. I wanted to learn

Max Vogel, MD ’18

Max Vogel, MD, a member of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine’s Class of 2018, is beginning his second year of residency in orthopaedic surgery at Geisinger Medical Center. As the son of a carpenter and a registered nurse, the Aliquippa native said he was raised to have compassion for others and use his mind and other tools to find solutions to problems, making his career choice and specialty decision almost effortless. It didn’t hurt that, as an athlete, Dr. Vogel’s earliest and most frequent exposure to medicine came through orthopaedics.

“I played baseball in college in South Carolina, where I met my wife, Kaley. We both love sports and the outdoors, so we were happy to come back to Pennsylvania and all of the outdoor activities it has for my medical school education,” he said. “The experience has been even better because I got to go to Geisinger Commonwealth. It has such a family feeling. Everyone there is on your side. Everyone is there to help. It’s a school where many students are on a first-name basis with faculty and staff, which is both unique and impressive,” he said. everything. The fact that emergency medicine is one of the few specialties where I can apply it all really interested me,” she said.

Having the advantage of knowing she wanted to practice emergency medicine allowed Dr. Baiamonte to structure her fourth year in a way that would answer other questions she had. “I grew up in a small town and stayed close to home for college and medical school because I love it. But I wanted to experience a big city to be sure I wasn’t missing out. I had an away rotation that proved to me that I don’t want to live and work in an urban area,” she said.

The away experiences convinced her that Geisinger would be her No. 1 choice on her rank list. “I did a rotation at Geisinger and I just felt at home. All of the residents were super friendly and willing to teach. I wanted to be a part of that,” Dr. Baiamonte said.

Now on the threshold of her first year, she admits to being a bit nervous. “Suddenly, I’m the doctor. What I do counts, so yes, it’s scary. But I know Geisinger will prepare me well and I know that Geisinger Commonwealth has already given me a leg up. Our program director told us we would begin with standardized patients and we would be evaluated on empathy and communication. I am confident that I have an advantage there. I’ve done it so many times at school, I know I’ve got this part down pat.”

Dr. Vogel said that warm family feeling has continued at Geisinger Medical Center. “One thing that is consistent across both the School of Medicine and Geisinger Medical Center is the focus on community. Geisinger was, of course, founded by Abigail Geisinger with the intent of helping to serve her community. Similarly, the School of Medicine was founded by the surrounding community with the intent of increasing healthcare availability in the region. At Geisinger Commonwealth, I think the result is that there’s a true family feel and a sense of connection to the region. At Geisinger Medical Center, I get that same impression. That strong sense of family/community is the overarching theme, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Fast fact:

Geisinger has more than 500 residents and fellows.