Hometown: Columbia, SC
Name of Undergraduate Institution: Clemson University
Major(s)/Minor(s) in College: B.S. in Biological Sciences
Name of Medical School: Medical University of South Carolina
Favorite Quote: “If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” – MLK
Contact Info: Instagram: @gregsanatomy
Where are you currently at in your career path and why did you decide to pursue this career path?
PGY-4 Resident Physician in PM&R. Will be starting interventional spine fellowship this fall.
If you could go back and have a chat with your 1st year postgraduate self, what would you tell him?
Be yourself. You don't have to “pretend” to be a doctor. You're becoming a doctor. The experience & curriculum of medical school will continue to shape your mind/abilities but you can still embrace the personality traits that make you unique.
What is your favorite thing about your job?
Watching my patients get better day-in and day-out: achieving their functional goals & improving their quality of life. Nothing beats it.
Can you please walk us through a typical workday?
In the inpatient setting, physiatrists (PM&R doctors) often see patients after they have been discharged from acute hospital but still need functional help before safely being discharged to their home. We often see patients with strokes, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations and poly-traumas. In the outpatient setting, physiatrists can see a variety of patients ranging from SCI/TBI/Stroke/Amputee patients to sports medicine to spine/pain medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, occupational health, spasticity & contracture management, weight/obesity management, regenerative medicine, etc. It's a very broad field, which allows doctors to create a niche of exactly which types of conditions they like to see/treat.
What do you feel makes your specialty stand out from other specialties?
PM&R is a very diverse/broad specialty. You can go from seeing neonates to seeing geriatric patients in the same clinic. You can see patients with severe functional impairments and see world-class athletes in the same day. Physiatry is very interdisciplinary, so we work with physical, occupational, speech & recreational therapists as well as prosthetists, orthotists, psychologists, case management, nutrition, pharmacy, etc. to help patients achieve the best possible functional outcome. We also work very closely with doctors from other specialties like Trauma Surgery, Orthopedics, Neurosurgery, Vascular Surgery & Neurology.
What gives you the greatest motivation to get up every day to go to work?
Aside from seeing my patients improve, I also take extreme pride and enjoyment in seeing the excitement of the next generation of doctors. Knowing that I'm an inspiration to them, keeps me inspired to keep going.
Do you have any passions outside of work? If so, what are they?
Faith, Spending Time with wife/family, Mentoring, Fitness, Traveling & Spectator sports.
Thank you for educating us about the field of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Greg! We greatly appreciate you taking the time to share with us a behind-the-scenes look of a specialty that you are so passionate about! Congratulations on finishing up residency and we are all wishing you nothing but good fortunes as you advance to the next stage of your career!
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Posted on June 22nd, 2020