VCOM View Magazine Vol. 12 | No. 1

Alumni & Development

RECRUITING THE NEXT GENERATION

Dr. Katherine Kirby

A pplying to medical school is stressful and the process can be competitive and complicated. That was certainly true for Katherine Kirby, DO, who graduated from VCOM-Virginia in 2018 and is now practicing obstetrics and gynecology in Muskegon, Michigan. “I was the first physician in my family, and I needed help and guidance with the process. I needed help to understand what the opportunities were,” she remembers. The pandemic has made

role models. Applicants are instantly impressed.” When Bill King asked Dr. Kirby if she would be willing to be a panelist on a virtual panel of physicians for prospective students, she jumped at the chance. She remembered her own uncertainty, but more than that, she is a big advocate for VCOM. “I appreciate the education I received and wanted to help provide that to others who are hoping to become doctors one day,” she says. One of the things Dr. Kirby appreciates

applying to medical school more challenging and hospitals and HCMOs have imposed stricter rules due to liability issues that limit the ability of prospective students to shadow physicians. To address this particular challenge, VCOM began hosting virtual physician experiences (VPEs).The virtual panels may have begun in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they were so successful that they

“Whether you’re pursuing a second career, or are in another situation, if you’re passionate and driven enough,VCOM can be an option for you.”

most about VCOM is its commitment to recruiting students from a variety of backgrounds. “Whether you’re pursuing a second career, have children, or are in another situation, if you’re passionate and driven enough, VCOM can be an option for you.” Dr. Kirby found VCOM as many students do: by searching for osteopathic schools on the internet. She’s originally from Nashville,

-Dr. Katherine Kirby

have continued.The panels are held about every six weeks and typically feature five physicians from different specialties. Alumni physicians were added over the past year. According to Bill King, vice president for recruitment and application services across VCOM’s four campuses, prospective students have reacted extremely positively to the VPEs. “After we added in alumni as panelists, the response to the panels got even better. Our alumni are real examples to these applicants of what they can do with their lives if they consider becoming an osteopathic physician. Our alumni are successful, passionate about helping others and are incredible

Tennessee, and was looking for a school that wasn’t too far from home. She loved the mountains and thought Blacksburg would be a great place to live. She also loves VCOM’s mission and appreciated the fact that she saw lots of role models of strong, capable women at VCOM. “Women physician leaders like Jan Wilcox, DO, helped me move forward and say ‘yes’ to becoming a doctor of osteopathic medicine,” Dr. Kirby remembers. Now, with her participation in recruiting a new generation of students, Dr. Kirby is paying it forward and reaching back to pull

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