Program Eligibility & Requirements

Thank you for your interest in Gundersen Medical Foundation's Family Medicine Residency. 

PGY-1 Applicants

Gundersen Health System's Family Medicine Residency program is interested in medical graduates who are personally motivated to provide high-quality patient-centered care. Being an innovative program, we are particularly interested in future residents who are:

• Able to work in a team-centered environment
• Possess strong leadership skills
• Interested in community involvement, with an emphasis on rural underserved care

Please apply through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The following documents are required and can be submitted through ERAS:

• Personal statement
• MyERAS Application Form
• Three letters of recommendation
• Medical school transcript
• Medical school performance evaluation (Dean's letter)
• United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) or Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX) transcript
• Current Educational Council on Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) status report (for international medical graduates only)

Osteopathic Applicants & Match Opportunities

Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) students are encouraged to apply. With the merger of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) into the SAS (Single Accreditation System), our program has achieved ACGME Osteopathic Recognition. We only rank residents in the NRMP system.

We have received Osteopathic Recognition from the ACGME. Our DO residents participate with extra osteopathic training through the Wisconsin Statewide Osteopathic Program, organized by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Family and Community Medicine. This allows DO residents four days per year of extra osteopathic training in the Madison area. The Gundersen Family Medicine Residency has a DO faculty member who is certified and active in osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). Osteopathic equipment is present in the residency center and residents who choose to develop their OMT skills are encouraged to do so. Our DO residents perform many OMT procedures. Our program and health system are very supportive of DO physicians.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet one of the following medical school graduation qualifications:

• Graduate of a medical school in the United States or Canada accredited by the Liaison Committee on Graduate Medical Education (LCME)
• Graduate of a college of osteopathic medicine in the United States accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
• Graduate of a medical school outside the United States or Canada that:
  • Holds a currently valid certificate from the Educational Council on Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG).

Further requirements for successful application to our program:

• We require that all applicants have passed USMLE or COMLEX Step 1 prior to submitting their application.
• We only accept applications from individuals who have graduated from medical school within the past 24 months. In the interim, applicants must have been engaged in meaningful clinical, educational or research experience.

International Medical Graduates

Graduates of medical schools outside of the United States must also fully meet the following requirements:

• Be ECFMG certified by the time of starting residency, which documents the readiness of international medical graduates to enter US residency programs accredited by the ACGME by meeting specific medical education credential requirements and examination requirements.
• Have a passing score on USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 exams within two attempts for each step and within the last two years.
• Our institutional policy, which values diversity and inclusiveness, is to sponsor H1 and J1 visas, and we are exempt from the H1 cap.
• International medical graduates must also provide a current ECFMG status report with their ERAS application.

Our Facilities

The training sites for the Family Medicine Residency are new and beautiful. Residents train in a remodeled Family Medicine Residency Clinic work space. The space is designed for efficiency and to foster a collaborative learning environment.

The Clinic is adjacent to a newly constructed state-of-the-art inpatient hospital that is a mere 3-minute indoor walk away.

Except for three months of required rural training during the PGY-II year, all of the clinical training sites are within 5 miles and 97% are attached or adjacent to the Family Medicine Residency Clinic. There is no need to travel for experiences in pediatrics and obstetrics as is common in many other residencies.

If you choose to live on campus, you can even walk to work most days.