DOs take part in family medicine pilot program to improve clinical training

The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine’s (STFM) Building Better Clinical Training Experiences (BBCTE) program seeks to increase the number of community-based preceptors and improve the quality of training via standardization of student onboarding, preceptor onboarding and preceptor engagement.

STFM selected 15 family medicine departments to serve as pilot sites for its BBCTE program. They include AdventHealth Medical Group Family Medicine at East Orlando in Florida, which runs an ACGME-accredited residency program with osteopathic recognition, as well as the family medicine departments at the University of North Texas Health Science Center and the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.

These family medicine departments are piloting standardized resources and processes from April 2019 to Sept. 2020. Results of the program are expected to be published in 2021.

Taking a residency program to new levels

The AdventHealth family medicine residency program at East Orlando has received continued support from the Osteopathic Foundation of East Orlando, which is chaired by AOA President-Elect Ronald Burns, DO. The Osteopathic Foundation was a supporter of a state-of-the-art simulation lab and conference center at AdventHealth East Orlando.

Additionally, the foundation contributes to the continuing education and publication and presentation of projects by the program faculty and residents. Through the foundation and local Florida Osteopathic Medical Association district, Dr. Burns has had a continued relationship with the residency program. “It’s a perfect program for this pilot project,” he says.

“The faculty at East Orlando are highly motivated to teach and take the program to new levels every year,” Dr. Burns says. “I am impressed with the dedication of the program director and faculty and have seen exceptional physicians complete the residency program.”

The residency program’s director, Kamini Geer, MD, MPH, recently completed her National Institute for Program Director Development fellowship.

Practice management opportunities

The program’s residents have the opportunity to do a practice management rotation at Dr. Burns’ family medicine office with his wife and office manager, Janet Burns, PT.

“I love teaching the AdventHealth family medicine residents the business of medicine,” she says. “With their new knowledge of medical billing, office costs and revenue, and how to start and run a private practice, the residents are empowered to be business owners. I get calls from residents years after they finished this training program with business questions. It is exciting to open their eyes to how easy it is to be in private practice.”