FAQ

1. How many residents do you match and what do you look for in applicants?

We accept 12 residents per year. We are looking for applicants with a strong academic background and a demonstrated commitment to and passion for family practice. Good interpersonal skills and a strong work ethic are equally important.

We are looking for residents who value:

    • clinical experience
    • critical thinking/problem solving
    • efficiency/productivity
    • servant leadership
    • patient-centered care approach to healthcare delivery
    • teams based/interdisciplinary work environment
    • care of vulnerable populations

2. Where do you do your rotations and outpatient family medicine clinic?

Rotations are primarily at University Health, a two-hospital, 600-bed, not-for-profit healthcare system, the largest and most comprehensive safety net healthcare provider in Jackson County and Kansas City, Mo. UH serves as the primary teaching hospital for the University of Missouri-Kansas City Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry and Pharmacy.

Most rotations are at UH Lakewood Medical Center where FM residents are unopposed. Some rotations are based at UH Truman Medical Center such as ICU and Neurology. Some rotations are split with clinical time at HSD and Lakewood such as Dermatology and Cardio/Pulmonary. Inpatient and emergency pediatric rotation are done at nearby Children’s Mercy Hospital.  Community rotations such as Preceptorship and Orthopedics are in private clinics. Family Medicine residents receive training at the Bess Truman Family Medicine Clinic inside UHLMC hospital where there over 27,000 outpatient visits annually. Residents are organized into three teams supported by medical assistants and nursing, functioning as group practices, led by Family Medicine Faculty Team Leaders. The Family Medicine Clinic has been recognized as a NCQA Level 3 PCMH since 2013.

3. How frequently are you on call?

As a PGY I resident, 7 out of 13 Blocks are considered rotations with in-house call. Call blocks at Lakewood are a modified night-float system. Inpatient and Outpatient months are alternated by design for maximum resident wellness and to support adequate continuity of care for your patients in the Family Medicine Resident Clinic. Call at UHLMC is supported by 24/7 in-house Family Medicine faculty 24/7 and a PGY II or III resident on as resident supervisor. Inpatient Pediatrics rotation at Children’s Mercy has a different call system.

4. Do you work with residents from other specialties during residency?

We are primarily an unopposed residency program at UHLMC, which allows our residents to experience first-hand education and training in the broad scope of Family Medicine. We work in consultation with residents from other specialties on the inpatient service and along-side them in some clinics and the Emergency Room. We work with Pediatric residents during pediatrics rotations at Children’s Mercy Hospital. Our Inpatient Medicine team at Lakewood includes psychiatry interns and residents from our Podiatric Surgery program.

5. Why might this program not be a good fit for me?

This is a program designed for residents who want to experience some independence in their care of patients and embrace ownership for their patient panel. While we always have faculty and/or a senior resident available to ask questions and help us manage patients, this is definitely a place where we take responsibility for patient care with a focus on acquired autonomy as experience and competency grows. We have an expectation for embracing full spectrum Family Medicine training.

6. What procedures will I learn during residency?

You will be trained in a variety outpatient procedures such as Nexplanon insertion/removal, IUD insertion/removal, cryotherapy, skin biopsies, toenail removals, joint injections/aspirations, casting, spirometry, circumcisions, etc. You will also receive training in procedures include Sim lab training for central line placement as well as other inpatient procedures such as; paracentesis, intubation, thoracentesis and C-Sections. Outpatient procedures are emphasized following the nature of a typical outpatient family practice. If you are interested in getting extra experience for inpatient procedures, there are plenty of opportunities for further training with an elective in procedure clinic or simply asking an attending if they would allow you to join in on procedures in their private clinics. The program also offers POCUS, Point-of-Care Ultrasound, where residents are able to practice techniques through lecture, Simulation/On-line modules and hands on training taught by faculty and residents who have received additional training in POCUS.

7. What is the inpatient medicine experience like?

Inpatient Medicine at UH Lakewood Medical Center consists of two teams- One team is primarily focused on care of our Family Medicine continuity patients who get admitted to the hospital and the other team is more of a hospitalist approach taking primarily unassigned patients. Both teams take admissions from the ED of unassigned patients as needed to balance the team patient loads.  A core group of Family Medicine Faculty rotate weekly as leader of the Family Medicine team and the other team is led by core group of Internal Medicine Faculty who rotate weekly from HSD.  Each team has a PGY3 who is the resident in charge (RIC) of that team. There are two PGY II residents and three PGY1 residents that work one either of the teams. One psychiatry intern functions as a full member of one of teams. Podiatry and Dental residents also spend time on the inpatient units as team members. At bedside, residents present their patient, the team sees the patient and we create our plan of care. Patient care & management is a collaborative effort that is headed by the resident. The afternoons are for following up on tests, radiology, consults, discharging patients or seeing your panel patients in your continuity clinic. New admissions are accepted throughout the day.

The combined census is often 30-35 patients with each team usually having 15-20 pts.  Each member of the team has a different schedule based on PGY level and each of those is templated for simplicity. First year residents (interns) spend 1 block with no nights and 1 block 1.5 weeks of nights on Inpatient Medicine. The daily schedule is generally from 6am to 6pm.