Thursday, January 2, 2020
Liberty osteopathic medical student recognized for outstanding contributions to the osteopathic profession.
Chris Breedlove (LUCOM Marketing)
Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) student-doctor Hannah Thompson, Class of 2021, has been selected as the LUCOM Student DO of the Year. Her nomination has been sent to the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents (COSGP) Selection Committee, the national leadership council of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), who will review the nominations and select a National Student DO of the Year in 2020.
“During my undergraduate career at Liberty University, I saw first-hand the difference in receiving an education that was faith based. I loved that LUCOM’s mission was not only faith-based, but it was also globally focused,” said Thompson. “As a Christian, it was vital for me to be in an environment where I was encouraged not only to grow in the skills of my profession, but to also mature in my faith as well.”
The Student DO of the Year selection process is an extensive selection process that involves each College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) and School of Osteopathic Medicine (SOM) in the United States. It begins with submitted nominations from the faculty, staff, and student body. Selected nominations then submit applications that includes their medical school CV/resume and an essay. Applications and essays are graded by the Student DO of the Year committee – a selection of SGA members, professors, appointed students, and the dean. The top five applicants based on these graded items are then discussed in detail amongst the committee before a final decision is made.
For Thompson, she chose osteopathic medicine because of its holistic philosophy and approach to patient care. “Patients are much more than just a disease process or diagnosis and thus require a multi-faceted approach to healthcare. Osteopathic medicine provides a unique framework and additional levels of training to equip students with skills necessary to adequately treat patients.”
Thompson is third-year osteopathic medical student currently on clinical rotations. “Third-year allows for our first-two academic years to really be put to the test in a clinical setting. I have loved seeing things finally come together and begin to feel more confident in my clinical decision-making skills. As a student, we are also to spend more time cultivating relationships with patients and their families due to the smaller case load. Each day is filled with unique challenges and uncertainties, but it is an honor to walk alongside patients throughout the entire process.” She hopes to enter in an OBGYN or Internal Medicine (with a Cardiology fellowship) specialty post-graduation.
Since beginning medical school, Thompson has made it a focus to serve and to serve well. “My dream is to attend residency in a larger hospital setting to allow for a more well-rounded and diverse medical education. Ultimately, I would love to serve in some capacity as a preceptor for medical students and in local and global medical missions.”
Throughout 2019, Thompson was involved in the Medical Society of Virginia as a student delegate and as a student representative, a student member in Omega Beta Iota National Osteopathic Political Advocacy Honors Society, a participant in the AACOM Virtual COM Day on the Hill, and a student representative during AACOM’s annual DO Day on Capitol Hill.
As a Liberty osteopathic medical student, Thompson has had the opportunity to serve and treat patients on multiple local day-clinics and two international medical outreach weeks. Her most memorable one was this past spring serving in the Dominican Republic. “It was a unique opportunity to work alongside Dominican medical students and the local church to provide healthcare to an underserved village community. Throughout the week we were able to serve over 400 patients – allowing mothers to listen to their baby’s heart beats for the first time, providing glasses, prescribing medication and sharing lots of love and hugs – it made for an incredible week. It was a wonderful reminder of why I pursued healthcare in the first place. I also had the unique opportunity of speaking to a group of high school students in a local Dominican high school about medical school in the United States. Their enthusiasm and desire to pursue medicine was incredibly inspiring.”
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Congratulations Hannah Thompson as LUCOM’s Student DO of the Year (2019).