How many residents do you accept each year and what are you looking for in residents?
Where do you do your rotations and outpatient family medicine clinic?
How frequently are you on call?
Do you work with residents from other specialties during residency?
What is a weakness of the residency program?
What procedures will I learn during the residency?
What is the inpatient medicine experience like?
Is the program family friendly?

1. How many residents do you accept each year and what are you looking for in residents?
We accept 12 residents per year. We are looking for applicants with a strong academic background and a demonstrated commitment to family practice. Good interpersonal skills and a strong work ethic are equally important. Finally, we look for applicants who we feel will “fit” with our team concept of learning and practicing family medicine.

2. Where do you do your rotations, and outpatient family medicine clinic?
Hospital rotations are primarily at Truman Medical Centers, one of the nation’s top five academic medical centers. TMC Lakewood offers a total healing environment by design. We are the only residents in the hospital. We do our pediatric rotation at nearby Children’s Mercy Hospital. When doing other community rotations in private offices we may go to other area hospitals with our community attendings. Family medicine residents receive training at the Bess Truman Family Medicine Center inside TMC-Lakewood. There we have over 12,000 out patient visits, 17% of which are pediatric patients. Residents are organized into teams supported by faculty and nursing, and function as group practices, led by a senior resident.
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3. How frequently are you on call?
We use a Night Float system that works fabulously. As an intern you are on call six blocks out of 13, throughout the year. These are the only blocks when you are on call and don't get pulled from another service (like geriatrics or ENT/urology) to cover call on Medicine or OB. Inpatient and OB call is a little different. For Inpatient Medicine, you arrive at 4:30PM, and then are dismissed the next day at noon or earlier if rounds are complete and you have finished all of your notes. On weekends, the service times change a little, you work either days for nights from 8-8 both Saturday and Sunday. For OB, you arrive at noon, and leave by 8AM the next day. On weekends, you work 24 hrs arriving on Saturday or Sunday at 8AM and leaving the following day at 8AM. For Inpatient Pediatrics, you go into the call schedule at Children's Mercy. When you are at Lakewood taking call from Mon-Thurs, the staff for the night is in house with you. On Friday and Saturday, staff is not in house. However, if an intern is on OB, there is a PGYII or III resident on OB backup who remains in house with you and is there to help, and answer questions. If you are on Inpatient Medicine, you don't have a dedicated backup, but it has long been an understanding that the OB backup is also to help out if needed, and/or a PGY II or III on call for OB could also be a resource for help. Even if staff isn't in the hospital, they are on pager and are ready to come in whenever you need them and are available for any questions, and they are always ready to help out in any way.
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4. Do you work with residents from other specialties during residency?
We are primarily an unopposed residency program, which allows our residents to experience first-hand education and training in all the relevant subspecialties. We do work with Pediatric residents during our one-month inpatient pediatrics rotation at Children's Mercy Hospital.
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5. What is a weakness of the residency program?
This is a program designed for people who want to experience some independence in their care of patients. If you are looking for a program where someone is always double and triple checking you, then we probably are not right for you. While we always have faculty or a senior resident around to ask questions and help us manage patients, this is definitely a place where we all take responsibility for patient care, and have a lot of freedom in that process.
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6. What procedures will I learn during residency?
You will be trained in outpatient procedures: colposcopy, exercise stress tests, flexible sigmoidoscopy, skin biopsies, toenail removals, joint injections/aspirations, etc. You will also receive training in procedures such as central line placement, intubation, thoracentesis, C-Sections and circumcision. Outpatient procedures are emphasized because of the nature of typical outpatient family practice. If you are interested in getting extra experience in inpatient procedures there are plenty of opportunities for further training.
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7. What is the inpatient medicine experience like?
Inpatient Medicine consists of a team of 6-7 in addition to the RIC, including 1-2 other seniors. Maximum number of patients is 28, including ICU. There is one Family Medicine and an Internal Medicine attending. The majority of the patients are without PCP or ours. Each morning we pre-round, then do walk rounds starting in the ICU at 0830. We end rounding in Radiology to review any new films. At bedside, residents present their patients to the attending, the team sees the patient, and as a team we create our plan of care. Patient care & management is a collaborative effort that is headed by the resident. Everyone is required to attend noon conference. The afternoons are for following up on tests, radiology, consults, discharging patients or clinic. New admissions are accepted throughout the day.
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8. Is the program family friendly?
Absolutely! First, we have lots of time off which lets you do things with your family. We all work hard while we are here, but then leave work at work, go home and enjoy our families in our off time. Our program is a good mix of single and married residents, and families. Most of our gatherings are designed to include families and we all work together to help out when family emergencies arise. Residents are able to stay active in their children's lives, get married, have babies and a full life outside of residency while still learning.
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