CUTLINE – Pictured are the fourth-year medical students who received their long coats in a ceremony in April along with Dr. Scott Whitby, HCMC Board of Trustees Chair and Dr. Amanda Finley, HCMC Director of Medical Education and Hospitalist.

Paris, TN — Henry County Medical Center honored its eight, fourth-year medical students during the second annual Long Coat Ceremony on Thursday, April 21. During the ceremony, the medical students are presented long, white coats by local physicians who they studied under during their clinical rotations.

HCMC welcomes medical students for clinical rotations as part of their third and fourth-year rotations required for their program. These students join us from Lincoln Memorial University – DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM) in Harrogate, Tennessee and William Carey University – College of Osteopathic Medicine located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

The eight, fourth-year students, who will now go on to complete their residencies, are:

Allison Breda: Lincoln Memorial University- DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine. Her residency match is in Family Medicine at Central Washington Family Med in Yakima, WA. Breda, who graduated from the University of Toledo, is from the Detroit area in Michigan.
Kelsey Blundell: Lincoln Memorial University- DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine. Blundell, from Mufreesboro, TN, will do her residency in Family Medicine at North Mississippi Medical Center, Tupelo MS. She is a graduate of the University of Memphis.
Timothy Clark: Lincoln Memorial University- DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine. Clark, a native of North Providence, RI, will complete his residency in Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Savannah, Savannah GA. He is a graduate of Hofstra University.
Hunter Crouse: Lincoln Memorial University- DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine. A native of Greenfield, TN and a graduate of UT Martin, he will complete his residency match in Family Medicine, UT Family Med, in Jackson, TN.
Kayla Hamdan: Lincoln Memorial University- DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine. Hamdan, a Canton, OH native and Kent State University graduate, will be completing her residency in Pediatrics at Prisma Health Midland USC, Columbia SC.
Amber Oliver: Lincoln Memorial University- DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine. Oliver will be completing her residency in Internal Medicine at Methodist Healthcare in Memphis, TN. Oliver is originally from Memphis, TN and is a University of Memphis graduate.
Blake Sanders: William Carey University- College of Osteopathic Medicine. Sanders, a native of Hammond, LA, will be completing his residency in Emergency Medicine at UMMC, Jackson, MS. He is a graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University.
Chandler Smith: William Carey University- College of Osteopathic Medicine. Smith, from Lynchburg, TN, will complete his residency in Family Medicine at St. Francis UT FM, in Memphis TN. He is a Tennessee Tech graduate.

Henry County Medical Center is proud to help facilitate a detailed learning experience for the students. We are glad to partner with LMU-DCOM and William Carey University- College of Osteopathic Medicine.

“The eight medical students going into residency from HCMC all chose primary care specialties which serves to help offset the deficit in TN and the region,” said Amanda Finley, DO, FACOI FACP, Director of Medical Education and Hospitalist at HCMC. “Working in Paris as a medical student creates a passion to serve in primary care where physicians are innovators daily creating care plans with limited regional resources. Three students matched into the limited 610 residency spots in TN which are highly sought after. All three of those in West TN: Jackson, two in Memphis. This great to see the HCMC medical education department fulfill its mission of Growing Physicians to serve our community.

“We are excited to be able to offer a rural learning environment for medical students at HCMC,” said Brad Bloemer, interim CEO. “We hope to see these students return to West TN or a rural area and practice much needed care for the populations and people we serve. Being a part of their educational career is an honor and we can’t wait to see the accomplishments of these students. We wish them the best in their residencies.”

For more information about HCMC and how we are growing forward to better serve our community, check out our website at www.hcmc-tn.org.

About Henry County Medical Center
Located in Paris, TN, Henry County Medical Center is a progressive, integrated healthcare organization committed to serving the healthcare needs of Henry County and the adjoining region. Including a 142-bed hospital and other facilities, the medical center provides a variety of outpatient services, as well as inpatient care. Additionally, HCMC owns and operates 8 provider clinics in various specialties. Henry County Medical Center is a county-owned and operated nonprofit institution. For more information: www.hcmc-tn.org.