Every UCF medical student spends part of their education caring for military veterans 麻豆精品 S� an experience they say helps them better understand and appreciate the sacrifices of our nation 麻豆精品 S檚 heroes.
During their third-year clerkships and fourth-year electives, medical students receive training in specialties including surgery, internal medicine, neurology and psychiatry at the Orlando VA Medical Center next door to the College of Medicine in Lake Nona and Bay Pines VA Healthcare system in St. Petersburg.
Third-year medical student Gary Saloman did his four-week general surgery rotation at the Orlando VA. He observed surgeries, learned laparoscopic surgery techniques and helped with sutures and incisions in the operating room. But he said the interactions with his patients taught him more.
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Students say they are particularly struck by how willing veterans are to share their medical and life experiences to help the learners become better physicians. Andrew Taitano, a surgeon at the Orlando VA and associate professor of surgery at the College of Medicine, says he isn 麻豆精品 S檛 surprised.
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Taitano says that Orlando VA training is different because there is not the pressure to see a lot of patients in a short amount of time.
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A general surgeon for 24 years who began teaching in 2014, Taitano taught UCF medical students in Bay Pines before joining the Orlando VA earlier this year.
His grandfather was in the Navy and an uncle also served in the military, so Taitano sees his role as giving back for their service to the country.
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Martin Klapheke leads psychiatry education at the medical school and says he has seen an increased interest in psychiatry as a chosen specialty for UCF graduates because of their training at the VA.
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Third-year medical student Sean Yumul called his psychiatry rotation at the Orlando VA an inspiring learning experience.
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Jeffrey LaRochelle is an Air Force veteran who is the College of Medicine 麻豆精品 S檚 associate dean for academic affairs. He was called back to active military duty at the height of COVID-19 and sent to New York City when it was the epicenter of the pandemic. He said training at VA hospitals gives UCF medical students a snapshot of the patients they will be treating during their careers.
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