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Medical Center Welcomes 23 Resident Physicians
The program, which has been in operation since the 1980s, usually rotates two doctors at a time. The program provides additional staffing for Dr. Don Weersing and his staff during the busy summer while it provides the resident doctors with clinical experience outside a large university setting. Once physicians are licensed to practice medicine, they are required to participate in a threeyear family practice program with medical facilities outside the university to gain board certification in family practice. Their experience on the Island will be an eye-opener for many of them, said Dr. Weersing. "Because of the wide range of different complaints that come in, and with the lack of back-up, the biggest thing they get from their experience on the Island is confidence in themselves," he said. "They're from large universities where every piece of equipment and any kind of specialist is accessible on a whim. But here, we rely much more on our clinical equipment and intuition." Dr. Weersing said resident physicians also must adjust to the Medical Center's communication system, which are lowband radios rather than pagers and cell phones. "Having to speak over the radio sometimes is a little intimidating for them," he said. Along with Dr. Weersing, Mackinac Island's only fulltime, year-around physician, the Medical Center staffs three nurses, two secretaries, and six emergency medical technicians. The three nurses fill one fulltime position, however, they are always on call as the Medical Center is a 24-hour, seven-daysa week operation, which includes said Dr. Weersing. Resident physicians must take on whatever walks through the door, said Dr. Weersing. The most common treatments are orthopedic-type injuries and lacerations but the facility also sees a good share of heart and respiratory problems, and allergic reactions. The Mackinac Island Medical Center provides only housing and a travel stipend for its resident physicians while their university programs fund their base salary. The resident physicians and their families are housed in the Medical Center's apartments on the third floor. The following is a list of names of the resident physicians for the summer and when they will arrive: May 20 to June 3: Nkiruka Obioha May 27 to June 8: Jennifer Tucciarone June 3 to June 17: Summer Liston June 10 to June 24: Nick Minnaar June 17 to July 1: Kevin Young June 24 to July 8: Aaron Fraser July 1 to July 15: Tabindeh Khalid July 8 to July 22: Madiha Farhat July 15 to July 29: Keary O'Connor July 22 to August 5: Kari Young July 29 to August 12: Amanda Shoemaker August 5 to August 19: Joong Eun Shin August 12 to August 26: Luc Vlad August 19 to September 2: Jill Miedema August 26 to September 9: Sally Chu September 2 to September 16: Jonathon Martinek September 9 to September 23: Miriam Garcellano September 16 to September 30: Sneha Cipriano September 23 to October 7: Syna Kuttothara September 30 to October 14: Natia DiPaolo October 7 to October 21: Erin Diviney October 14 to October 28: Alanna Wiarda NOTE: One resident physician, Jing Li, has already completed a rotation (May 6 to May 20). Dr. Nkiruka Obioha Dr. Nkiruka Obioha was born and educated in her native home of Nigeria before coming to the United States in 2000 to pursue a career in family medicine. "The U.S. is a first world country so you have everything at your disposal," she said of transitioning to American medicine practices. "You've got the medication, you've got the technology and you've got all the resources to work with." She arrived on the Island Sunday, May 20, with her husband George and three daughters; four-year old Chisomaga, and 16-monthold twins Eneanya and Chikamara. Following her stint on Mackinac Island, Dr. Obioha will resume her third year of residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and has a job lined up in Maryland following her graduation from the program in September. Dr. Obioha said she enjoys the homely, small town aspect of the Island so far. She will serve on the Island from May 20 to June 3. |
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