Third-year medical students from the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine in Pikeville began their internships Monday at The Medical Center.

Don Brown, director of medical education at The Medical Center, said they are the second group to go through the core curriculum at the hospital.

“They will do family practice, general surgery, internal medicine, psychiatry, (obstetrics and gynecology) and pediatrics. They do a four-week rotation with various physicians,” he said. “There are more than 70 physicians that volunteer their time. There are more than 200 lectures that will be given.”

The students will be at the hospital for at least a year and will be involved with community activities as well, including spending time with the Amish and HOTEL INC and participating in suture and X-ray clinics, Brown said.

“We see a need for a medical school in southcentral Kentucky. We also need residencies and fellowships,” he said.

The Medical Center has started an internal medicine residency and will have a cardiology fellowship and psychiatry residency next year.

The interns were excited to begin a new phase of their medical careers.

“You have to apply what you learned,” said Lillian Ng of San Francisco. “It’ll be such a growing experience of what kind of physician you will be.”

Ng had a couple of reasons why she wanted to intern with The Medical Center in Bowling Green. “I heard a lot of good reviews from last year’s class,” she said. “I wanted to be in a big city near an airport.”

Ng is interested in women’s infertility and endocrinology as potential specialties, but she said she may change her mind again.

“I thought I wanted to do OB/GYN, but I didn’t know if the lifestyle would be for me,” she said.

Yazan Saba of Allentown, Pa., said he was interested in several specialties but hasn’t narrowed it down to one.

“I love pharmacology, but does that mean anesthesiology?” he said.

Saba grew up with uncles who were doctors. “I always thought it was the coolest thing ever,” he said.

Interning will give him a glimpse of what their lives will be like as doctors, Saba said.

“I’m very excited to see this in real life, to see it from physicians who have seen it from the book and out,” he said. “I’m very excited to be around patients.”

Andrew Burnette of Jasper, Ga., is a husband and father of a 2-year-old daughter. Being a medical student takes a lot of time, and he spends as much as he can with his family.

“We have no regrets,” he said.

Being at The Medical Center and in Bowling Green is a nice change, Burnette said. He has narrowed down his choice of specialties to either emergency, internal or family medicine.

“We heard nothing but good things from the (first-year) students,” he said. “Everybody we’ve met has been welcoming and polite. I think we’ll be happy here.”

Ashley Smith of Bowling Green is a fourth-year medical student who is doing clinical rotations at The Medical Center and is applying for internal medicine residencies. She was in the current students’ shoes with the first class.

“Last year I completed all my core rotations. I had a really good experience,” she said. “The experience was above my expectations. It prepared me well for my board exam, real-life patient encounters and interactions. They’re very student-friendly and ready to teach you.”

— Follow features reporter Alyssa Harvey on Twitter at twitter.com/bgdnfeatures or visit bgdailynews.com.