P4: Preparing the Personal Physician for Practice
TransforMED
The University of Missouri Family Medicine Residency focuses so much on its residents that it calls itself "a resident's residency." The Program gives residents the unique opportunity to work in a professional partnership with one other resident. Each resident works with the same partner throughout the duration of the program. Partners learn from each other and provide emotional and professional support. The partnership is an excellent model for future practice.
In addition to its unique partnerships, the Program gives residents the opportunity to emphasize special areas of interest in their training. These "individualized pathways" allow residents to work with a faculty member who has authority in a particular area of family medicine, such as obstetrics, rural medicine, research/academics and sports medicine.
As part of P4, the Program will study both the content and length of residency training. The content of the curriculum will emphasize concepts of a patient-centered medical home, innovative use of the electronic health record, and improved management of chronic illnesses.
The Program also will significantly increase the amount of time first-year residents spend caring for patients in an outpatient medical office setting. It will capitalize on the benefits offered by electronic health records and will examine the benefits and drawbacks of a fourth year that will overlap with the senior year of medical school.
Residents and patients will act as partners in the implementation and evaluation of the new program.
For more information, contact:
Erika Ringdahl, MD
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