Quinnipiac University Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine Program

The Quinnipiac University's Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine offers a Rural Family Medicine Residency program dedicated to addressing healthcare inequities and improving the health of communities through direct patient care, community outreach, and scholarly inquiry. This program is rooted in three core pillars: service to communities of practice, quality education in an integrated environment, and a foundation of scholarly activity. It emphasizes the need for timely access to care in underserved areas and aims to prepare residents for a career in rural medicine with a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to education and patient care.

Residents in this program begin their experience at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, gaining high-touch experience in various critical areas during their PGY-1 year. As the curriculum progresses through the years, it shifts focus towards ambulatory experiences to better prepare residents for rural practice, offering a wide range of rotations and elective opportunities to tailor the residency to individual professional goals. Residents are trained in medication-assisted treatment and point-of-care ultrasound among other skills. The curriculum ensures the resident's education is comprehensive, covering a broad spectrum of family medicine.

The program offers a competitive compensation package, including a bi-weekly salary, health insurance, paid time off, and more. Furthermore, it fosters a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion, committing to fair treatment and access for all and valuing diversity in backgrounds and experiences.

Training sites include St. Vincent's Medical Center and Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, among others, providing a blend of urban and rural educational environments. The program also emphasizes community engagement and scholarly work aimed at improving healthcare outcomes in rural and underserved areas.

Application to the Rural Family Medicine Residency program is through ERAS, and the program begins accepting applications in September, with interviews conducted from October to January. Applicants should submit letters of recommendation (at least one from a family medicine faculty member), USMLE and COMLEX scores, and demonstrate clinical experience in the U.S. if there's a gap in their education. The program sponsors J-1 visas and does not require ECFMG certification at the time of application but requires it before commencement of residency training.

This residency program stands out for its dedicated approach to training physicians for practice in rural and underserved communities, its comprehensive curriculum and training sites, and its commitment to diversity and inclusion.