PCOM Georgia held its annual commencement ceremony on May 23, this year graduating 283 physicians, pharmacists, physical therapists, physician assistants, biomedical scientists and medical laboratory scientists.
The pomp and circumstance were elevated as students processed into the auditorium to the accompaniment of a bagpipe and snare drum. The grand ballroom at the Gas South Convention Center was filled with loved ones who witnessed their students crossing the stage to receive their diplomas and hoods.
Julie Ginn Moretz, the chief experience officer and the assistant vice president of patient- and family- centered health care at the Augusta University Health System, delivered the keynote address. The sister of PCOM Georgia Chief Campus Officer Bryan Ginn, Moretz received the Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, as part of the ceremony.
Moretz asked the graduates “what would health care look like if patients designed it?”
Once the self-described scared young mother of a newborn diagnosed with three major life-threatening heart defects, Moretz has worked tirelessly to transform the culture of health care so that the hospital experience is more patient-and family-centered.
As the first volunteer chair of the Patient/Family Advisory Council at AU Health, Moretz partnered with hospital leaders to develop a nationally recognized patient- and family- centered program which led to a position as a hospital director.
“It’s about keeping patients and families together and including them in the care plan and decision-making process,” she said.
Moretz reminded the students that “words matter. Your patients will memorize the words you say.”
A final lesson Moretz conveyed to the graduates is that “you can’t save everyone but you can always share your passion and compassion.”
Jay S. Feldstein, DO ’81, president and CEO of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, addressed the graduates. He said, “As you leave here today, you…
Read the full article here