Residents frequently develop elective experiences according to their interests. Examples include electives in developmental pediatrics, free community clinics and research projects. Additional educational opportunities abound on the inpatient and outpatient rotations, including regularly scheduled conferences, seminars and continuing medical education programs at participating hospitals and in the community. Wednesday mornings are reserved for journal club, grand rounds and family practice seminar. The rural rotation provides a realistic, supervised opportunity to experience family practice in a rural setting, away from the program base.
Residents act as a partner in the group practice.
Residents have said this rotation is an excellent opportunity to gain clinical maturity and confidence. In-hospital call is every fourth night in the first year except for the surgery rotation, when call is taken from home, and frequency varies depending on the number of residents on the service, vacations, etc. The behavioral science curriculum is integral to the family medicine residency. Major emphasis is on modeling and teaching the biopsychosocial patient care approach. Videotaping residents is an important training tool.