Covenant Health Begins Second Year of Medical Student Program with LMU

Covenant Health recently welcomed a new group of medical students as part of our partnership with DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee. It is the second year for the medical student program, which provides clinical experiences at Covenant Health hospitals for aspiring physicians and mid-level providers.

Thirty-seven students took part in an orientation and celebration luncheon on July 17 at the Knoxville Marriott. The event was highlighted by a traditional “white coat ceremony” in which each student received a personalized white coat to wear during their clinical training at Covenant Health hospitals.

“We are fortunate to partner with Lincoln Memorial University and DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine,” said Mike Belbeck, Covenant Health executive vice president of operations. “Covenant Health and LMU have a shared vision of excellence, quality and learning, and a shared commitment to the communities we serve.”

“This is a great partnership,” added Jonathan Leo, Ph.D., executive vice dean of academic affairs at DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine. He encouraged the students to bring their best to Covenant Health because the health system is “an incredible organization — everyone is top notch.”

Three of Covenant Health’s member hospitals – Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville, Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, and Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System in Morristown – serve as core rotation sites for the program. Under the direct supervision of physicians, the medical students interview and examine patients, review clinical information, make hospital rounds, participate in interdisciplinary team meetings, practice appropriate documentation and perform procedures.

To date, about 160 students have worked with 150 physicians throughout the health system who serve as preceptors and teachers.

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