Mission

The mission of the Family Medicine Residency Training Program at Martin Army Community Hospital is to generate Army Family Physicians who are committed to achieving excellence in improving the health of their patients, their families, and their communities, who are capable of worldwide medical support of DOD forces, and who are competent leaders within their communities of practice.

Vision

Our vision is to build the next generation of leaders and innovators in Army Medicine; create a professional, inspiring, challenging, evidence-based learning environment; and teach comprehensive patient-centered care. The residency accomplishes this by providing patient care opportunities and military training through an unopposed residency setting, a variety of military schools, scholarship and research opportunities, and direct training and feedback from our full-time teaching staff of 14 physicians. Our graduates are developed into well-rounded Medical Corps Officers who expertly serve warfighters and their families in all domains around the globe. Our graduates include clinic and department chiefs, battalion, brigade, and division surgeons, residency faculty and program directors, Special Forces and Ranger physicians, astronauts, hospital commanders, and clinicians trained in nearly every Family Medicine fellowship.

Aims

1. Develop Family Physicians who provide first-contact, continuous, comprehensive, and coordinated primary care with an emphasis on improving the health of the community.
2. Train highly competent Family Physicians who are capable of providing world-wide medical care (clinic, hospital, rural, austere, and underserved).
3. Create Family Physicians who are competent scholars, demonstrating expertise in both research, performance improvement, and evidence- based medicine.
4. Graduate military physician leaders who are competent in influencing and driving change within their organizations and communities.

• Systems-based morning report/lecture series, weekly seminars, monthly simulations training
• Specialist-driven lectures in each topic area on monthly rotation
• Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) clinic time reserved for DOs along with regular osteopathic didactic sessions for DO-trained residents (Osteopathic Recognition from ACGME)

The average breakdown (in weeks) for our residents includes:

Required Electives

• First Year: Psychiatry, Sports Medicine, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics Outpatient, Radiology
• Second Year: Sports Medicine, Soldier Care, ICU, Pain Management, GYN Clinic
• Third Year: Sports Medicine, Cardiology, Procedures, Trauma, Adult/Peds ED

Common Optional Electives

• NICU, Anesthesiology, Procedures, Urology, Military Schools (Airborne, Air Assault, Captain's Career Course - CCC, Ranger Assessment and Selection Program - RASP)

• Outpatient Rotations: Residents are scheduled for 2-3 half-days of outpatient FM clinic per week. No overnight call requirements.
• Inpatient Rotations (Mother/Child Service [MCS] and Inpatient Medicine [MED]): Six 12-hour day shifts per week, including one half-day of outpatient FM clinic.
• Inpatient Night Coverage (covers both MCS and MED): Five 12-hour night shifts per week plus one half-day of outpatient FM clinic.
• Residents are currently not required to perform any 24-hr call shifts.

Military/Officer Professional Development is integrated into our regular didactic curriculum and simulations.
Additionally, we have:

• 2-week Capstone Field Training Exercise during PGY-3 focusing on tactical combat casualty care
• Intensive 4-week trauma rotation at Grady Hospital in Atlanta, GA
• Opportunities to attend Airborne school, Air Assault course, Flight Surgeon Course or Captain’s Career Course during residency, Expert Field Medical Badge offered annually. These skills/designators significantly improve chances for highly sought after operational positions after residency

• Basic Life Support (BLS)
• Advance Life Support (ALS)
• Pediatric Advance Life Support (PALS)
• Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP)
• Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO)

Every 4-week rotation has one half-day reserved for simulation training (loosely oriented toward the organ-system being studied). These include the use of state-of-the-art simulation labs with high-fidelity models, both in the hospital Sim Labs (for medical and surgical simulations) and the hospital-owned MSTC (for military/trauma simulations).

Formal leadership and professional development is integrated into our regular didactic curriculum.

Additionally:

• Each month, each residency class breaks out for individual class-specific leadership professional development.
• All residents practice and develop leadership skills by serving as members of various committees and focus groups.

All residents are expected to engage in some form of research activity during their residency. Many residents choose to engage in primary studies, systematic reviews, and publications for peer reviewed journals such as American Family Physician. Specific research highlights at MACH include:

• Large Active Duty population and the only co-located basic training population
• Home of the Army Heat Center, DoD research leader in exertional heat illness
• Medical Librarian and Office of Clinical Research & Support to help with original research, process improvement, and quality improvement projects
• Multiple opportunities to publish and present scholarly activity; conference attendance is highly encouraged and funded
• Nationally recognized, back-to-back recipient of Uniformed Service Academy of Family Physicians (USAFP) Best Program for Research

All residents are expected to participate in at least one Process Improvement (PI)/Quality Improvement (QI) project during their residency. Each project is assigned a staff mentor/advisor, and is further assisted through scheduled formal didactics on PI/QI. Currently, MACH is involved in a DHA Pilot Study on Digital Health Transformation, and all residents and staff are involved in this PI/QI initiative.

Integrated professional development curriculum includes officership and leader professional development, career advancement in the U.S. Army and civilian medicine opportunities, and military specific requirements. Residents have local availability of multiple military schools to include Airborne, Air Assault, and Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP), with Flight Surgeon at the nearby Fort Novosel as opportunities for electives as a senior resident.

• Martin Army Community Hospital, Fort Moore, Georgia (Primary Site)
• Saint Francis Hospital, Columbus, Georgia (Satellite – Cardiology, Intensive Care Unit)
• Piedmont Columbus Regional Hospital, Columbus, Georgia (Satellite – Neonatal ICU, Pediatrics Emergency Department, Pediatrics Inpatient)
• Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia (Satellite – Trauma)
• Winn Army Community Hospital, Fort Stewart, Georgia (Pending Agreement)

We have availability for 3rd Year Family Medicine Rotations (typically 6-weeks) or 4th Year Family Medicine Clerkships and Audition Rotations (typically 4-week rotations).

We are happy to facilitate getting auditioning students to nearby programs as well during their rotation with us (i.e.: Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Womack Army Medical Center etc.). We can also facilitate in-person interviews for students rotating at those sites; we request pre-coordination so that we can arrange interviewers beforehand. We strongly recommend in-person interviews, but can accommodate telephonic interviews for those unable to be physically present.

Program graduates take the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) board exam, offered bi-annually. Applicants are eligible to take board certification exam at any time once all pre-requisites required by the ABFM are met, which include three Self-Assessment Exams and one process improvement/quality improvement project. Most residents elect to take the board certification exam during the Spring of their PGY3 year.

All residents are expected to give regular morning report teaching lectures throughout their training, with additional opportunities for peer teaching as they desire. Additionally, several opportunities for teaching occur on a recurring basis such as:

• Patient-focused classes - Tar Wars, Sleep Hygiene
• Medic-focused classes - Tactical Combat Casualty Care, Combat Trauma Management
• Provider-focused classes - Advanced Life Support (ALS) instructor, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) instructor

Residents may use elective opportunities as a senior resident to create a structured teaching opportunity at local Mercer University medical school, engage in precepting, and develop lectures for resident and student education. Additional opportunities exist to travel to for a Faculty Development elective. Residents are frequently paired with rotating medical students during their PGY-2 & 3 years for teaching.

• Faculty Development Fellowship
• Sports Medicine Fellowship
• Family Medicine/Obstetrics Fellowship
• Geriatrics Fellowship

All residents are assigned a faculty advisor/mentor to assist with academic, administrative and personal concerns throughout their residency. At a minimum, they meet individually at least once per quarter, but frequently will meet more often than this. Additionally, residents are encouraged to seek additional mentorship to assist with research or any other interest/concern.

Our program has a full-time embedded Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who focuses on the health and well-being of our residents and staff. As part of our recurring academic curriculum, our LCSW meets with each residency class monthly to assist with any group concerns and meets individually with each resident at least once annually. Additionally, our program focuses on resident well-being by offering:

• Weekly physical training opportunities with frisbee, runs, obstacle courses and work-outs
• Quarterly scheduled ‘wellness’ outings such as Escape Rooms, canoe trips, dinner outings
• Annual residency retreat to Panama City Beach, Florida