• a curriculum covering all medical specialties and subspecialties
• enhanced education facilitated through coordinated educational efforts and routine sharing of knowledge
• the opportunity to choose electives, which are arranged with each individual resident
• elective programs with associated rural hospitals
• the knowledge and skills to provide comprehensive, cost-effective health care to their patients and families regardless of diagnosis, sex, age or other factors
• the ability to incorporate disease prevention and health maintenance into the care of their patients
• assistance and training to effectively coordinate all health care services received by patients and their families
• community resources to improve the health care delivery system

The faculty, staff, attending physicians and hospital personnel are dedicated to producing a family physician who will be ready to provide comprehensive, continuous, coordinated and community-oriented health care in a variety of settings.

Clinical Training
Throughout your residency, you will work closely with highly skilled medical specialists, primarily at Mercy Medical Center and the Mercy Family Medicine Residency Program. The Mercy Family Medicine Residency Program includes:

• a concentrated study of all disciplines that contribute to the practice of family medicine.
• extensive procedural training.
• direct, hands-on experiences that equip residents to provide high-quality patient care in an evolving health-care environment.

Because Mercy is a regional, tertiary care hospital, you will be involved in caring for complex medical cases. As a result, you will develop close working relationships with physicians and staff from many specialty areas while you maintain primary responsibility for your patients’ health care.

If your patients require hospitalization, you and a faculty physician will admit them to Mercy Medical Center.

Throughout a patient’s hospitalization, you will have access to all specialty and subspecialty consultation services. The faculty is readily available to offer education, guidance and support so you can provide optimal levels of patient care.

Establishing a Practice During Your Residency
As a resident in the Mercy Family Medicine Residency Program, you will be assigned families for whom you will provide care throughout your three-year residency. This enables you to develop your own, active family practice.

As you maintain responsibility to your patients’ health care and education, you also will receive support from a highly skilled ancillary staff that includes certified medical assistants, LPNs and RNs.

Opportunities After Residency
Mercy operates Iowa’s most extensive primary care practice system and is affiliated with 14 rural Iowa health centers.  This strong primary care network provides opportunities for graduates to pursue their desired avenues in family medicine — from practicing with an established hospital or clinic to launching a practice in an urban or rural environment.