CMMC’s Family Medicine Residency Offers Selective Training Opportunities
Selective rotations allow the resident to tailor their educational experience to their individual interests within a pre-defined curriculum. Selectives do not present the complete spectrum of subject areas presented by electives, but allow in-depth study of specific areas of Family Medicine. The selective choices currently offered are listed below:
Family Centered Maternity Care
Residents are required to complete two additional rotations in Maternity Care. The Prenatal Education Program allows residents to work with a multidisciplinary team (e.g., social worker, nutritionist, childbirth educator) to provide comprehensive care during pregnancy. An extra away rotation in the third year of residency is available for a high-risk, high-volume experience.
Pediatrics
Residents have an opportunity while doing their two “selective” rotations in Pediatrics to become involved in additional and specialized experiences working with children/adolescents. This selective is designed for residents with a passion for focusing on a child- and adolescent-aged population in their practice.
Public Health
The goal of the selective is to provide the resident with a fuller appreciation of the varied aspects of public health and the ways in which physicians can impact the health of communities. You will develop the skills and knowledge needed to protect, promote and maintain the health of populations – resulting in the prevention of disease, disability and death. You will have the opportunity to experience the work of public health agencies in meeting the needs of their at-risk populations and area outreach centers. You will complete a quality improvement project or research project with the opportunity to publish or present at a regional or national conference. You will also have the opportunity to be active in the Maine Public Health Association, in addition to attending monthly/annual meetings and sitting on a committee.
International Health
The goal of the Selective is to allow residents to broaden their skill sets through working in low-resource settings. Additionally, this selective will inculcate a systems-approach to medical care in the developing world, while expanding the resident’s understanding of globally diverse medical systems.
Geriatrics/Palliative Care
The goal of the Selective is to provide a more compact and comprehensive exposure to the many venues which provide care for the frail elderly: the home, the clinic, assisted living communities, long term care, hospital-based palliative care, and community-based and inpatient Hospice Care. The frail elderly is a fast growing and underserved population which requires a unique set of clinical skills. The goal of this Selective is to help you to be confident and competent caring for elders in your practice after residency.
Hospitalist in Family Medicine
The Hospitalist in Family Medicine Selective is designed to give Family Medicine residents a concentrated exposure to Hospital Medicine as it evolves into an exclusive area of practice. The resident will work directly with a hospital-based provider group and will participate in the care of patients in that environment. The resident in this selective is encouraged to explore all areas in which Hospitalists function. There may be opportunities to work on the Palliative Call Service as well as serve as a medicine consultant for patients admitted by other providers in the system. This selective may prepare the resident to apply for our or another Hospitalist fellowship.
Integrative Medicine
The goal of the selective is to introduce residents to offering health care through an integrative medicine model. Integrative Medicine combines evidenced-based traditional western or allopathic and osteopathic medicine with other healing traditions, to create an individualized approach for the patient and to support the wellness of the health care provider and team. The resident will gain exposure to a variety of alternative health care providers via an experiential approach and learn to design a holistic method of practice for you and your patients.
Each resident completing the Integrative Medicine selective will also have the opportunity to participate with residents around the nation in the web-based Integrative Medicine in Residency (IMR) program designed by the University of Arizona. IMR is an in-depth competency-based curriculum in integrative medicine to be completed during the second two years of your residency. The IMR incorporates program and topic-specific exercises that residents can incorporate into their day-to- day family medicine experience. Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine
Emergency Medicine
Family medicine physicians provide a significant amount of the emergency care in the United States, especially in rural areas. Residents who are interested in a career involving emergency care can complete their selective experience in the EM setting. Residents can work in either the CMMC ED for a higher level of care, or in either Bridgton or Rumford for a more rural experience. Residents can expect to broaden their knowledge base and skill sets for a future in the ED.
Sports Medicine
The resident in a sports medicine selective will have additional training in sports medicine, including opportunities for sideline game coverage, sports medicine research, and increased time in the sports medicine clinic, which allows for increased training in diagnosis and management of musculoskeletal issues. Residents have the opportunity to improve their skills with various procedures including musculoskeletal ultrasound, casting and splinting, joint injections and aspirations, and musculoskeletal x-ray interpretation. After completing this selective, the resident should have increased competence at triaging and managing non-operative fractures, tendonopathies and other traumatic injuries, and be comfortable managing non-traumatic musculoskeletal complaints as well.