Congratulations
on finding yourself interested in the challenging and rewarding practice of
Family Medicine!
The senior year of medical school is a time to: 1) ensure you will have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to function as a competent intern following graduation; 2) complete selection of your future specialty choice; 3) determine your preferences for residency programs; 4) experience areas of medicine in which you have an interest but have not yet had an opportunity; 5) choose some electives just because you always wanted to try them; and 6) Areas of special interest or that you may never be able to experience again- Consider exploring a topic that has not been covered extensively in your medical school education to date such as alternative medicine, adolescent health, sports medicine, underserved/RURAL medicine, Hispanic healthcare, AN INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE or a surgical subspecialty – you are limited only by your number of elective months and your imagination!
Faculty in the Department of Family Medicine are available and interested in serving as your faculty advisor to help you plan your senior year. Our experiences and interests are broad – sports medicine, obstetrics, underserved medicine, rural medicine, travel medicine, international medicine, academics, research, informatics and more! Please use us to your advantage.
The
Department of Family Medicine has 31 electives. Electives from all
specialties should be considered to ensure your educational needs are
met. Here are some electives to consider if you are planning a career in
Family Medicine:
1. Family Medicine – one month, either a or b:
a. One month intensive, sub-internship-like hospital based Family Medicine elective in a hospital which has a Family Medicine Residency.
b. One month intensive Family Medicine outpatient elective with a community preceptor or at a Family Medicine Residency. The Department of Family Medicine and your Family Medicine advisor can assist you with contacting community preceptors. Community preceptors must be approved by the department. The student should select a location that seems currently to be of interest in regard to town size, area of the state (or country) and practice characteristics (obstetrics, procedures, sports medicine, rural/underserved populations, adolescent medicine).
2. Obstetrics – one month if you are trying to determine your interest in obstetrics as a family physician or if your knowledge, skills and attitudes in this area require further development before graduation. Both the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Family Medicine offer electives in obstetrics.
3. Medicine – two to three months
a. One month required inpatient ward medicine rotation, as a "Sub-Intern" and
b. One to two months of sub-specialty medicine rotations to develop your knowledge, skills, and attitudes in critical care and areas of deficiency or interest such as:
i. Cardiology
ii. Infectious Disease
iii. Pulmonary
iv. Critical Care
v. Nephrology
4. Pediatrics – one or two months in areas where you need to further develop your knowledge, skills and attitudes such as:
a. Neonatology
b. Pediatric cardiology
c. Pediatric infectious disease
d. Office pediatrics
5. Areas which will help you gain specific knowledge and procedural skills
a. Emergency Medicine
b. Dermatology
c. Radiology
d. International elective!
6. Areas of special interest or that you may never
be able to experience again. Think outside the box and provide yourself an
opportunity to stretch your own experience. An international elective or a
unique, specially crafted rotation that is tailored to your own personal
interests can often reinvigorate you and keep you well balanced as an
individual.
Graduate
Education and Residency Programs
Currently, there are eleven approved residency programs in the State of Indiana with approximately 80 first year positions offered. Family Medicine training will prepare you to deliver quality care to all ages, for the full-spectrum of health maintenance, disease prevention, and acute and chronic disease management. Family Medicine also offers 1-2 year fellowship programs in specialties such as Primary Care Sports Medicine, Adolescent Medicine, Geriatrics, Maternal Health and Obstetrics, Underserved Populations, Rural Medicine, Research and Faculty Development. Family Medicine board certification can be the springboard to an individualized career and practice that will provide lifelong satisfaction and personal and professional rewards.
Getting Started Thinking About the Match
Many students choose to do a senior rotation at the hospital the student strongly desires for residency training, however this is not mandatory. Obviously, a Family Medicine Residency rotation would be preferable but if this is not possible another strong elective from that institution would serve the purpose of becoming closely acquainted with the hospital and the hospital educators. This gives the student the opportunity to study the hospital and the residency program and allows the residency faculty an opportunity to know the student better as well. This senior elective should be planned prior to the month of February since most hospitals will make their decision on candidates by that month.
In making application for a residency, letters of recommendation are preferred from those who have the most personal experience with the medical student. A least one letter should be from a Family Medicine faculty member who knows the student’s abilities well. The other two letters can be from any faculty who know the student well. Specific comments regarding personality, interpersonal skills, aptitude and medical knowledge are most appreciated. It makes little difference from whom these letters come as long as they are honest and sincere statements of fact. The usual transcript of grades is important and most program directors will want to know scores on Steps 1, 2 and 2B of the USMLEs. Pertinent comments by faculty who have had students on clinical rotations are especially important. A recommendation from a teaching family physician in the community where the residency is located often carries more weight in residency programs than a letter from a house staff physician on an inpatient rotation.
Applications should be mailed out in September to October. Visits to residency programs should be scheduled in November to January. During this visit the student should become acquainted with some of the residents in training, observe the operations of the Family Practice Center, and discuss the residency characteristics with the program directors and other members of their faculty, if available.
The entire faculty of the Department of Family Medicine stands ready to assist you in any way possible regarding your senior year course selections and advice relative to residency training. You do not have to be assigned to a Family Medicine advisor in order to take advantage of our years of experience and wisdom. Often students who are torn between several similar primary care specialty choices will visit the department on an informal basis to get help in making a difficult decision. Family Medicine advisors and their personal biographies can be accessed on the departmental Web page, http://www.iufammed.iupui.edu/department_faculty_and_staff/departmental_faculty_all.html. Be sure to take notice of the diversity in faculty and interests available to guide you in your decision making process. In addition, all students who are interested in Family Medicine may contact Dr. John Turner’s office for guidance in choosing a career or for any questions regarding electives offered by the Department of Family Medicine. The Family Medicine office can be reached at (317) 278-0300.