Q & A

There are a lot of factors to consider when applying to a residency program. Will I get enough hands-on clinical experience? Will I be competing with other learners for the same patients? Will there be a diverse patient population? Will I get the depth of experience I need to become a competent, independent practicing physician?  Will I get important mentoring and are the faculty going to listen to me?  Is it better to be a part of an existing residency program or go with one that’s new?  These are all great questions.

At Memorial, you will be a part of the healthcare team, not just an observer. We have high expectations for you just as you have high expectations of us. Our first few classes of residents, more than any others, will significantly shape the program. The good news: Designing a new residency allowed us to implement the best evidence-based processes, education, and clinical approaches found in successful family medicine residencies. We hand-picked the medical staff who are the most engaged in academic medicine. It allows us to implement more effective, interactive, didactics and learning. In our program, residents are not competing for patients, we are unopposed and you will have your own patient load with private attendings. Finally, there are no old bad habits or broken systems to fix. You won’t be just another resident in a sea of residents.

We expect to be a mentoring relationship, encouraging equal respect for both the learner and the teacher. The expectations for faculty are to foster learning and growth through effective, thoughtful feedback and teaching. The expectation for our residents is to apply themselves to their fullest ability and provide constructive feedback and solutions. It takes both engaged faculty and residents to build an outstanding residency.

We have three Family medicine practice centers all within 20 minutes of each other that will create a diverse patient population from newborns to geriatrics. Residents will rotate through their home clinics and will be assigned their own patients. You will continue to provide care throughout your three years. You will also be assigned patients in the other two clinics regularly to ensure you get the most diverse patient and disease populations.

The inpatient hospital service is made up of your clinic patients along with unreferred or undoctored patients presenting via the emergency room. There will be a mixed payor source including private pay, Medicare, Medicaid, and self-pay. The goal is always to maximize exposure to a variety of medical needs within a diverse patient population.

Didactic time is protected. We will meet one half day a week when we get together for a mixture of case presentations, board review, grand round presentations, research training, fine tuning administrative issues, and focusing on well-being. Our goal is to teach thinking through innovative methods rather than just sitting through lectures. This is meant to be an educational, interactive, and engaging experience.

Research is an important part of residency training. We require all residents at a minimum to prepare a project or case study for presentation or publication. All residents are required to complete a Quality Improvement project, as well. Research support and instruction is readily available and built into the didactic curriculum.

Currently there is one away rotation in Jackson Mississippi at the University of Mississippi Medical Center during the third year for inpatient pediatrics. We felt this was important for complete training in pediatrics to ensure more intensive pediatric illnesses and to interact with all of the pediatric sub-specialists. This will be the only away rotation. Housing will be provided and there will be no didactics (you may join didactics virtually) or FMP clinics for this block only

Yes. Prenatal care will be performed through a community FQHC clinic. Deliveries will be at Memorial using our new OB Hospitalist service.

Other than outside ER residents periodically rotating through the emergency department there will be no other opposition at this time. That means there will be no additional residents competing for inpatient encounters for obstetrics, pediatrics, medicine, surgery, or any other of the inpatient or outpatient blocks. There are medical students. Residents will be expected to lead and teach medical students during certain rotations.

Yes. A consistent portion of didactics will be dedicated to board review and monitoring your progress.

There will be four one-week vacations available for each year. There will be some rotations where vacations are not allowed without prior approval. All policies such as vacation, duty hours, supervision, and wellness are in full compliance with ACGME guidelines.

There is minimal call. During the medicine rotation there is a night float service, so no call. On Pediatrics there will be some home call. Obstetrics and emergency room will be shift work. Other rotations, for example surgery and some of the subspecialties, may have home call, as well. There will be rare scheduled in-house call. The expectation os to only be in the hospital overnight when you’re actively involved in patient care and learning.

The Mississippi gulf coast it’s a wonderful place to work learn and raise a family. Start the morning by walking or biking a portion of the beachfront boardwalk that stretches from Ocean Springs to Waveland with Gulfport in the center. Spend the evening with your family sitting on the beach watching the sunset. There’s definitely a small community feel to Gulfport even though the population is sizable.  New Orleans is drivable in about an hour in one direction and the white sand beaches of the Florida Panhandle are within a two-hour drive in the other direction.

Yes. During your three years you will serve the entire community. You will be providers for the business owners and local leaders and for the most vulnerable of our community. This will happen across your different block rotations as well as in each of the FMP centers.

Our EHR is Cerner. It links our outpatient and inpatient world in one. In other words, our clinics and the hospital use the same system which means you only have to learn one EHR and, you’ll become more than proficient before you hit the floors. We have built in an extended orientation that will allow for more in depth training and practice navigating our EHR, along with an immersion in the Foundations of Family Medicine. This will allow higher proficiency and less frustration once you start rotations.

The entire focus behind developing this residency was to maximize learning and education while maintaining a well-balanced life. This is not a situation where you will be inserted into a system and made to fit in. Our program was designed with the needs and expectations of modern-day residents at its center.