READING PA – Real-world work begins Monday (May 15, 2023) for members of the inaugural class of the Reading-based Drexel University College of Medicine at Tower Health. That’s when, after two years of classroom and laboratory studies, they begin clinical rotations at Reading Hospital, the health care system said.
Depending both on how well they perform in coming months, and on the availability of future job openings, some class members could be hired for positions in which they provide services to residents of western Montgomery, eastern Berks, and northern Chester counties.
Clinical rotations offer medical students opportunities to work in many hospital departments. They will interact with residents, fellows, physician faculty, and clinical care team members while they become acclimated to work in a hospital environment.
The class’ “Transition to Clinician” event begins with a walk Monday on 6th Avenue in Reading from the school to the hospital’s Clock Tower entrance. Students are scheduled to arrive on the campus at about 10:45 a.m., where they will attend a program in its Thun-Janssen Auditorium. It will be led by team members from Tower Health, the hospital, and the college.
The transition represents “a true milestone in one’s medical school education,” according to Dr. Karen Restifo, MD, JD, who serves as the college’s regional vice dean, and its significance as the first such class “makes it special for the school, the hospital, and the community,” she said.
Tower Health, a regional integrated healthcare system, provides healthcare and wellness services to tri-county area residents.
Its facilities include Phoenixville Hospital in Phoenixville and Pottstown Hospital in Pottstown; TowerDirect ambulance services in Robeson, Warwick, and West Nantmeal townships, and Phoenixville and Elverson boroughs; local offices of Tower Health providers; and urgent care centers in Douglassville, Gilbertsville, Limerick, North Coventry, and Oaks.
Photo of Reading Hospital provided by Tower Health via YouTube
