1. What is your program’s mission?

Memorial Health System recognizes the value of excellent family medicine practitioners. As a result, a family medicine residency program was established with the goal of securing well-trained physicians who strive for excellence through a commitment to life-long learning and to serve the Mid-Ohio Valley.

2. Where are you located?

The epicenter of Memorial Health System is Marietta, Ohio—a city in southeast Ohio at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers. The Family Practice Center is in the small city of Belpre, Ohio, approximately 15 miles to the west of Marietta. Our scenic location in the foothills of the Appalachians is ideal for serving the rural population—with Marietta being a regional hub for medical care. The closest cities with major medical centers (and airports) are two hours away (Columbus, Ohio and Huntington, West Virginia).

3. What sets the Memorial Health System Family Medicine Residency Program apart from other programs of the same specialty?

Our three-year program provides each resident with the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skill set necessary to deliver top quality, full-spectrum family medicine. The program focuses on developing efficient practice management skills that the resident can utilize in their practice. Residents also receive a unique, hands-on experience in process excellence, that includes LEAN Six Sigma training. Finally, residents will learn our proactive Well-Being policy which cultivates an environment in which residents, can remain resilient and even thrive during the intense training experience of residency.

4. What benefits do you offer?

In addition to medical and dental coverage which begins on the first day of employment, residents at Memorial Health System are provided with:

Paid vacation (20 days)
A meal stipend ($100 per month)
White coats and scrubs
A CME stipend up to $2,000/year
Textbooks required for didactics

5. What support do interns receive as they adjust to residency?

Residents will spend their first four weeks in orientation at the family medicine practice site. This provides incoming residents with important skills to maximize their success during their internship year. The month is a combination of didactic lectures, certifications including BLS, ACLS, NRP, and PALS, hands-on procedure training, and outpatient medicine. It is designed to cover a wide range of topics including the most common outpatient clinical presentations, preventive medicine, practice management, and inpatient medicine. Residents begin seeing patients, learn about billing and coding, and are introduced to the clinical team that they'll work with for the next three years.

Residents will also be paired with one of our core faculty as a formal advisor. The advisor will meet with the resident periodically to review goals and educational objectives and provide support. We want our residents to be successful, so our team of faculty and program leaders will provide the necessary tools to create greatness.

6. How do residents get involved with the local community?

Residents will receive hands-on experience in various community settings which include the local senior center, county health department, local schools, and the health system’s occupational health clinic. Residents are encouraged to participate in self-directed community projects that could include providing physicals for local students enrolling on athletic teams. In addition, our health system offers ample opportunities for interaction with our community.

7. Is Memorial Health System a non-profit organization?

Yes.

8. Does the Memorial Health System Family Medicine Residency Program qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program?

Our organization does qualify as a non-profit/tax exempt business, however, receiving approval for loan forgiveness depends on a variety of factors (i.e. having an “income-driven loan”) and not just the employer’s non-profit status. We encourage residents and potential applicants to investigate further to determine if they would qualify by clicking here.

9. Are there moonlighting opportunities?

Moonlighting is permitted for PGY-3 residents in good standing, with an independent medical license and his/her own malpractice coverage. Moonlighting is restricted to one (1) shift per week to minimize interference with patient care and residency performance.

10. How do I apply to your program?

All applicants for a PGY-1 position must apply through ERAS. The application must be submitted before November 1, of the year preceding the beginning date of the program. All applications must have the following:

Dean’s letter
ECFMG certificate and proof of successful completion of the Clinical Skills test, if an international medical school graduate
Official transcript from the medical school
Personal Statement
Three letters of recommendation. Applicants with previous residency experience should include a letter from the residency program director.

11. What are your selection criteria?

We review and confirm eligibility requirements.

To qualify for ranking, applicants must have passed USMLE Step 1, Step 2 and Clinical Skills or COMLEX Level 1, Level 2, and Performance Evaluation before February 1 (which is when we submit our rank list to the NRMP). We give preference to those having zero failures.
We prioritize US grads but will accept IMG applicants.
Applicants must have graduated within the previous five years.
We give careful consideration to:
      Commitment to ideals of family medicine
      Recent clinical training or experience
      Performance on standardized medical tests
      Overall performance in medical school
      Maturity and emotional stability
      Lack of history of drug or alcohol abuse
      Personal interview

12. Do you sponsor visas?

We can support H-1B Visas and J-1 Visa applications for residents seeking sponsorship by ECFMG, however priority is given to U.S. applicants.

13. May I arrange for a visit to see what your program looks like? May I drop in to try to speak with someone?

Unfortunately, we receive many of these requests and do not have the ability to offer informal visit opportunities. Please apply through ERAS. If you are chosen for an interview, we will notify you.

14. Do you have externship opportunities?

No, we do not.

15. What is your interviewing schedule? When are the interviews?

Applications are reviewed between mid-September and early-November. Personal interview invitations will be extended beginning in late September through mid-November. Our interview season begins in early October and extends through January. Most interviews are held on Friday mornings.

16. How many residents are in your program?

We are a newly approved program and accepted four residents for our first class in July 2019. This is an excellent opportunity for energetic, innovative applicants to help shape the course of our new family medicine program.

17. Do you have other elective opportunities?

A variety of electives are available within our health system. Residents may also propose elective months to tailor their residency experience that will suit their educational interests.

18. What about research?

Residents are required to participate in quality improvement projects that fulfill the scholarly activity requirement. Our faculty will facilitate these projects.