My mother, Sissy Underwood, was a CNA from Winnsboro as was my grandmother Modene, who worked at Franklin Medical Center. My sister, Tracy Jordan and I grew up there and she is currently an RN at Franklin Medical Center. After graduating from Winnsboro High, I received a BA and Masters in Psychology from ULM. I worked for the Wellspring in Winnsboro and Tallulah. Then with a little encouragement from Dr. Tom Colvin I decided to attend medical school at LSU Shreveport. I will graduate May 29th then head to Jacksonville Florida for a family medicine residency.
I interviewed at 12 family medicine residency programs in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and South Carolina. I interviewed at private community institutions and large university hospitals. I chose to be at a private community hospital because I felt it would better prepare me to practice in a rural hospital like Franklin Medical Center. I chose St Vincent’s Medical Center in Florida (to my sister’s dismay because it is so far from home) because it is a family oriented program that encourages the residents to spend time in the community. It serves Medicare and Medicaid patients and allows for volunteer experiences. The residency program benefits from affiliations with Ascension Health, St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, FSU and the University of South Florida. It’s also an unopposed program. As the only residents in the hospital I will have more training opportunities than I would at a university hospital where I would be competing with residents of different specialties for training opportunities and procedures.
Over all I felt it would better prepare me to practice at home in Winnsboro. Being by the beach for 3 years didn’t hurt either!
