NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. – On June 30, eight officers completed the Family Medicine Residency Program at Nellis AFB where they will be able to apply the skills they learned out in the field.
The program’s mission, which takes Airmen already graduated from medical school that are practicing physicians or doctors, is to provide world class instruction so graduate physicians can supply a personal medical home for patients from cradle-to-grave, whether deployed or in garrison.
According to the Nellis Family Medicine Residency website, “One of our core missions at Nellis FMR is to mentor students and young physicians to help those foster skills unique to Family Medicine, which can be used in whatever future specialty they may select.”
While already able to provide care to most individuals, the program helps Airmen sharpen their skills while serving their country.
“The primary goal of the program is to produce highly qualified, board-eligible family physicians capable of providing continuing and comprehensive care to the individual and family as an integrated unit, in any military or civilian medical system,” said Col. Paul Crawford, 99th Medical Operation Squadron Family Medicine Residency Program director. “Graduates are capable of independent practice in the field of Family Medicine and recognize that our responsibility is not limited by sex, age, organ system, or disease process but is comprehensive delivery of medical care.”
With the program taking three years to complete, the program changes emphasizes in different areas of care after completing a year.
“A 3 year program of advancing responsibility, privileges and independence has been developed,” said Crawford. “This program emphasizes inpatient medicine, block rotations, and weekly Family Medicine clinic in the first year and supervisory experience with elective focus, longitudinal format, continuity OB and emergency medicine in the second and third years. Increasing emphasis is placed on ambulatory rotations as the resident progresses.”
After completing the three-year residency in Family Medicine, it will prepare physicians to be board-certified family physicians.
”Residency is the culmination of medical training where they have completed 4 years of college and 4 years of medical school,” said Crawford. “Persons who are either part of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences or have received a Health Professions Scholarship Program are eligible to apply to the Joint Graduate Medical Selection Board. There, their performance in medical school, standardized testing, interviews, research and prior military experience are taken into account and they are matched to a program that merges their wishes with the needs of the Air Force.”
With one of the goals of the program being mentoring, the highest priority is the safety and empathic care of patients.
“The program should cultivate mentors who particularly focus on medical students learning our specialty while helping them foster skills unique to Family Medicine that they can use in their future specialty,” said Crawford “All instruction is performed in an environment that places the highest priority on patient safety and empathic care.”
For anyone who may be interested in the program can go to the Nellis Family Medicine Residency Program website at http://www.nellis.af.mil/Units/NellisMedicalCenter/FMR.asp.