Structure and Function - An Osteopathic Approach to Addressing Pain

Structure and Function - An Osteopathic Approach to Addressing Pain

Chronic pain and structural issues frequently get masked by reactive prescriptions rather than treated at the biological source. As patients increasingly demand proactive, whole-body wellness over temporary symptom management, understanding the true depth of your medical options has never been more critical. In this episode, Casey Pearce sits down with Dr. Kinsey Cornick, an osteopathic physician and Chair of the Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) at NYITCOM, to break down how hands-on manual therapy alters patient outcomes. We get into the foundational philosophy that separates osteopathic medicine from standard allopathic tracks. Dr. Cornick walks us through the 19th-century history of Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, details the 200 extra-curricular hours of tactile training required for DO students, and outlines the 10 technique styles used to diagnose and treat "somatic dysfunctions." The core breakthrough of this approach lies in the reciprocal relationship between structure and function, demonstrating that manually adjusting the physical anatomy directly restores the body's natural capacity for self-regulation and lymphatic drainage. The reality of practicing this discipline is that it requires rigorous physical labor, precise diagnostic palpation, and a constant battle against deep-seated public confusion regarding how DOs differ from chiropractors. Viewers will walk away with a grounded framework for evaluating full-scope medical care and a clearer understanding of how manual manipulation addresses complex issues ranging from infant constipation to chronic pregnancy migraines. If you care about comprehensive medical education, structural wellness, and proactive patient care, you’ll get a lot from this conversation. Don't forget to subscribe to the channel and share this episode with anyone looking to understand the true scope of modern medicine. What is the biggest misconception you have encountered regarding DOs versus MDs? Let us know in the comments below. @arkansasstatemedianetwork.com. 0:00 - Introduction to Osteopathic Medicine 4:00 - The Four Tenets of Whole-Body Health 11:33 - DO vs. MD: Defining the Differences 14:51 - Inside the OMM Lab: Hands-On Curriculum 19:35 - OMM vs. Chiropractic Care 23:54 - Treating Constipation, Migraines, and Carpal Tunnel

Building Your Medical Resume for Match

Residency isn’t the finish line after medical school. It’s the destination you’re training for from the moment you arrive, and the choices you make early can quietly shape what becomes possible later. Casey Pearce sits down with senior career advisor Rebekah Herring to unpack the residency Match process in plain terms, including what the NRMP Match really is, why it functions as a legally binding first job, and why “waiting until fourth year” is one of the most common misconceptions. We talk about the practical steps that build a strong residency application over time: using Careers in Medicine to narrow specialties, setting realistic goals based on competitiveness, and building a professional brand that programs can trust. Rebekah explains the MSPE (Medical Student Performance Evaluation), what goes into those nine to ten pages, and why the story you tell there matters not just for residency, but potentially for fellowship and licensure down the road. From there, we map the clinical training timeline, including structured third-year core rotations and the fourth-year audition rotations that can act like a two-way tryout for both students and programs. We also get honest about the emotional parts of the process: surprises around early deadlines, the data students always ask for, and the hard conversations that happen when scores or interviews do not go as planned. And yes, we end with the best part: Match Day and what it’s like to watch students open the envelope that changes everything. If you’re a prospective medical student or already in the pipeline, listen and share this with someone who needs a clearer residency Match timeline. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what part of the Match process you want us to break down next. @arkansasstatemedia.com. 0:00 - Residency is Your Actual Destination 1:15 - What is the NRMP Match? 3:02 - Why Waiting Until Fourth Year is a Mistake 5:10 - Narrowing Specialties with Careers in Medicine 7:45 - Deconstructing the MSPE: Your 10-Page Story 9:50 - Third-Year Core vs. Fourth-Year Audition Rotations 12:15 - Early Deadlines and Hard Score Conversations 14:30 - Opening the Envelope: Inside Match Day

Training Local: Growing the Arkansas Physician Pipeline

There are two key components to adequately addressing a physician shortage, and they both involve opportunity. First, you have to create medical schools in the geographic areas where you need more doctors to practice, and then you have to open new residency programs for those future doctors, where those new doctors receive their specialty training.  We sit down with Dr Amanda Deel, a family medicine physician and Associate Dean of Graduate Medical Education and Academic Affairs at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine in Arkansas, to explain how graduate medical education really works and why residency creation is the clearest path to building a stable physician workforce. We dig into the numbers that drive everything, including how often doctors practice near where they train and what Arkansas retention looks like when medical school and residency both happen in-state. From there, we talk about the statewide shift from years of little to no program growth to dozens of new residency programs, and what hospitals and communities had to do to make that turnaround real. We also unpack why bringing residents and medical students into community hospitals lifts quality, strengthens teamwork, and can even make it easier to recruit specialty care. Then we look forward, including plans to train family physicians in rural Arkansas for rural Arkansas through a Mississippi County partnership, with a focus on access, maternity care, telemedicine support, and the realities of practicing with fewer specialists nearby. If you care about rural health, physician pipeline strategy, and healthcare access in Arkansas, this conversation connects the dots. Subscribe, share this with someone who cares about local healthcare, and leave a review with the one workforce question you want us to tackle next. @Arkansasstatemedianetwork.com. 00:00 - Guest Introduction: Dr. Amanda Deel 03:00 - What is GME? Explaining Residency to the Public 07:00 - The 100-Mile Rule: Where Doctors Actually Practice 09:45 - The Power of In-State Training Statistics 12:15 - Arkansas’s Stagnant History: 1992 to 2014 14:50 - The 2015 Turnaround: NYITCOM’s Massive Impact 17:30 - Community Hospitals and the DO Advantage 20:10 - The Mississippi County Hospital Partnership 23:00 - Current GME Needs in Arkansas and the Delta 25:40 - How to Pitch Hospitals on New Residency Programs 28:15 - Dr. Deel’s Final Word on Healthcare Access

Jonesboro Day to Day: Medical Student Life in Northeast Arkansas with Taylor Gipson, Lilly Figgins and Zariyae Moore

Med school is hard enough without feeling trapped in one building, one routine, or one social circle. We sit down with three current NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine, Arkansas students, Taylor, Lilly Figgins, and Zariyae Moore, to paint an honest picture of day-to-day life at a medical school located on the Arkansas State University campus in Jonesboro, Arkansas. If you’re comparing osteopathic medical schools and wondering what “student experience” actually means, their answers get specific fast. We dig into the practical stuff that shapes your weeks: favorite study spots across a Division I campus, how first-year structure turns into second-year independence, and why having easy access to libraries, quiet rooms, and the student union can make long study days feel manageable. Then we zoom out to student life and leadership, from specialty interest groups and skills practice like suturing, to student government advocacy where student voices reach deans through meetings, feedback, and real follow-up. We also talk about culture. These students describe a collaborative environment where peers help each other, faculty know you by name, and community shows up in unexpected ways, like “Run With The Dean” followed by coffee. Finally, we cover what living in Jonesboro is like, how students use athletics and fitness resources for a real break, and the advice they wish they’d heard as pre-meds: don’t chase perfection, don’t compare timelines, and take opportunities as they come. If this helped you picture your own path to medicine, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review so more future doctors can find it. @Arkansasstatemedianetwork.com. @NYITCOM 0:00 Welcome And Why This School 2:04 Studying Across A Full Campus 3:27 Favorite Spots For Breaks And Focus 5:55 Home Vs Campus Study Routines 6:34 Student Organizations And Interest Groups 8:58 Student Government And Advocacy 12:11 Faculty Relationships And Run With Dean 14:50 Collaboration Over Competition Culture 17:00 Living In Jonesboro Day To Day 19:16 Sports Games And Fitness Resources 20:33 Advice For Pre Med Students 22:45 How To Learn More And Closing

Beyond the Degree: Training High-Impact Physician-Leaders with Dr. Shane Speights

A medical degree can teach you anatomy, pharmacology, and how to pass boards, but it cannot automatically teach you how to change the health of a whole region. That’s the gap we dig into with Dr. Shane Speights, Dean of NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University, as we explain what we mean by “More Than A Medical School” and why fit matters as much as prestige for medical school applicants. We talk about the mission behind NYITCOM Arkansas and why it was built in the Delta: physician workforce shortages, rural healthcare access, and the need for more frontline doctors in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and other primary care fields. Dr. Speights shares how a simple media interview about the flu vaccine made him realize the scale of education and advocacy, and why we want future physicians to show up not only in exam rooms but also in community decision-making that shapes health outcomes. We also break down what it means to be a DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine): the same foundation as MD training, plus a whole-person, prevention-forward mindset and extra hours of hands-on osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). From there, we get practical about what truly separates training models, including how community-based clinical rotations can put students directly beside attending physicians, building confidence and readiness for residency. If you’re choosing between multiple acceptances or wondering where you’ll grow the most, this conversation gives you a clear lens for evaluating mission, training, and impact. Subscribe for more, share this with a premed who’s deciding where to apply, and leave a review with the kind of physician you hope to become. @Arkansasstatemedianetwork. 0:00 Introduction and the Why Behind This School 1:17 The Impact of Medical Education and Servant Leadership 2:56 Defining "More Than a Medical School" 5:44 The NYIT and Arkansas State Partnership Story 8:02 Brand Recognition: The Value of the NYIT Name 8:37 Addressing the Arkansas Physician Shortage 9:51 Intentional Location: Serving the Delta Region  10:45 What is a DO? The Osteopathic Mindset 13:34 Focus on Preventative Medicine and Wellness 15:13 Curricular Rigor: MD vs. DO Training 16:22 The Primary Care Mission and Rural Need 18:11 Recruiting for Local Practice and Regional Growth 20:30 Differentiators: Population Health and Advocacy 21:42 The Community-Based Rotation Advantage 24:46 From Third-Year Clinicals to Local Contracts 25:41 Why Future Students Choose NYITCOM Arkansas 27:00 Resources and Next Steps