Guthrie - History of Medical Residency at Guthrie

RESIDENCY

History of Medical Residency at Guthrie

Dr Guthrie cultivated such a reputation for his medical training programs that in 1924, Dr. Charles W. Mayo, of the Mayo Clinic, sent his son, Charles H. Mayo, to Robert Packer Hospital for an internship. Evidently, Charles H. was impressed, as he sent his own son, also named Charles, to Robert Packer Hospital in 1958 for an internship.
	Dr. Will Mayo and Dr. Guthrie operating during Dr. Guthrie's internship at the Mayo Clinic in 1908.
	It is rare that medical programs are able to trace their residency roots back to the 19th century, especially since most physicians at that time never performed an internship. Those who did usually traveled to hospitals located in major metropolitan areas, not in the rural mountains of Pennsylvania!
An ambulance driver (left) and a medical resident pose with the Robert Packer Hospital's 1930s ambulance.
Guthrie’s first intern arrived in 1897 and by 1920 the program expanded to four interns. The residency program began in 1923 when the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Medicine invited Robert Packer Hospital to co-establish a Fellowship in Surgery. A second Fellowship in Surgery was added in 1925 and in 1928 Robert Packer Hospital a Fellowship in Medicine. Today more than 600 physicians have completed their internships and residencies at Robert Packer Hospital.
	In 1911, Dr. George Hawk became the first resident under Dr. Guthrie.
Although the residency program has undergone many changes throughout the years, it has remained true to the precedent set by Dr. Guthrie back in the 1920’s: provide our residents with the highest level of medical training available. And, just as in the 1920’s, our residents are able to interact with the physicians and faculty one-on-one.