Family Medicine Residency Program addresses shortage of primary care physicians

Representing the Family Medicine Residency Program team at a recent Gundersen Health System Board of Trustees meeting are (front, L-R) Dana Meyers, Paula Ebert and Jennifer Lee; and (back, L-R), Paul Klas, MD; Tracy Grant, RN; and Brent Shipman.

This winter, Gundersen Health System's Board of Trustees honored six staff members who helped design and launch the organization's new Family Medicine Residency Program. The program will help address the nationwide shortage of primary care physicians, especially in rural clinics and hospitals throughout the Tri-state Region. The employees recognized represented a larger team that worked to make the program a reality.

Efforts on the new program began in 2013. In 2015 a major milestone was reached, with accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Accreditation required development of an approved curriculum, completion of a formal application and participation in a site visit to ensure criteria for clinical training and teaching were met.

Another milestone came with receipt of a $621,310 grant from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The grant will help support up to 18 residents when the program begins in 2016.