Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge welcomes 19 med students for clinical rotations

Nineteen local medical students will undergo training at Methodist Medical Center beginning this month as part of a partnership between Covenant Health and Lincoln Memorial University – DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Covenant Health, the parent company of Methodist Medical Center, recently held a special recognition ceremony to welcome 53 third-year medical students from LMU-DCOM, who are beginning their clinical rotations at four Covenant Health hospitals, according to a news release.

The ceremony also welcomed an inaugural group of eight family medicine residents to the Methodist Family Medicine Residency Program, a residency program launched in 2024 by Covenant Health and Methodist Medical Center to train the next generation of family medicine physicians.

The medical education recognition ceremony also marked the orientation and induction of the two groups of young physicians-in-training. The LMU-DCOM students received white coats during their orientation sessions, while the medical residents were recognized with a special pinning ceremony.

Medical students

Under the direct supervision of physicians, the LMU-DCOM medical students will interview and examine patients, review clinical information, make hospital rounds, participate in interdisciplinary team meetings, practice appropriate documentation and perform procedures. They will gain valuable hands-on experience in clinical settings at these Covenant Health core rotation sites in East Tennessee: Cumberland Medical Center (Crossville), Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center (Knoxville), Methodist Medical Center (Oak Ridge), and Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System (Morristown)

The luncheon event included remarks from several Covenant Health and LMU-DCOM leaders who spoke to the students about the sacred work of being a caregiver and putting patients first in everything they do, the release from Covenant Health stated

Methodist Family Medicine residents

The Methodist Family Medicine Residency Program’s first group of medical school graduates arrived in July to train in the Knoxville-Oak Ridge area to become family doctors. The residents will practice at Methodist Family Medicine Clinic, offering family medicine and primary care services to the surrounding communities.

The family medicine residency program is accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). It is led by Jim Schindler, family medicine physician and program director, whose goal is to produce well-trained family medicine physicians who will care for those in the community seeking care, the release stated.

Physician Justin McGoldrick, vice president of medical affairs and graduate medical education officer for Covenant Health, led an orientation session with the LMU-DCOM students on clinical, operational and workplace excellence. He also addressed the students and leaders at a special luncheon following orientation. He talked about Covenant Health’s commitment to the next generation of physicians and the importance of medical education in our current healthcare climate. He noted that both the LMU-DCOM partnership and the establishment of the family medicine residency program are critical endeavors to address important community needs, including a predicted future shortage of physicians.

He discussed the importance of a service-oriented attitude in patient care and congratulated the group on achieving this important milestone in their medical education journeys.

Physician Mandy Grubb Halford, senior vice president, chief medical officer, and chief medical informatics officer for Covenant Health, spoke about the enterprise’s pedge of excellence.

"At Covenant Health we pledge to put the patient first, we pledge excellence in everything we do, and we pledge to be the first and best choice in healthcare. And now, you are all part of that environment, and can help carry that responsibility in your year ahead," she is quoted as saying in the release.

Covenant Health has partnered with LMU-DCOM to offer clinical rotations and hands-on experience for medical students since 2016. More than 360 students have done core rotations at Covenant Health facilities since the partnership was established. The newly arrived LMU-DCOM students will graduate in 2026.

The family medicine residents will graduate in 2027 after three years of post-graduate training. Each year, the program will welcome a new cohort of eight residents for a maximum enrollment of 24 at any given time.