Pinpointing the best family medicine residency programs can be difficult for a multitude of reasons. Determining what is the “best” is rather subjective and varies from person to person. Residency programs are more attractive or unattractive based on their location, proximity to family, training environment, resources available, and how much they value the chosen specialty of the applicant.
This article provides a list of well-developed family medicine residency programs that can lead to exceptional careers. We also cover some tips for how to get matched for family medicine specifically and how you can benefit from professional residency application help.
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List of the Best Family Residency Programs in the United States
1. Family Medicine Residency Program at the ECU Brody School of Medicine
The Brody School of Medicine in Greenville, North Carolina, offers 12 positions in its standard family medicine residency program, with an additional 4 spots for its rural program applicants. Each member of its faculty has a distinct area of clinical focus. The ECU Health Medical Center is one of the largest hospitals in the United States, and it serves the underserved regions in the area such as Ahoskie and Duplin. Those looking for experience in rural locations may be enticed by this program.
2. Portland Family Medicine Residency Program at Oregon Health & Science University
Considered one of the top medical schools for primary care education, OHSU prepares its residents for the challenges of the family medicine practice through a comprehensive, integrated, diverse residency program. A large focus of their program is physician wellness to reduce burnout and distress. Their wellness measures include four wellness days per year, a resident wellness retreat, mentorship programs, and access to the Resident and Faculty Wellness Center.
3. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC)
This school has many affiliated family medicine residency programs in multiple locations such as Lubbock, Amarillo, or the Permian Basin. Students can apply to the Family Medicine Accelerated Track (FMAT) in their first year of medical school, which leads to a standard three-year family medicine residency. Those looking for a medical school program that links directly to their residency will be interested in this opportunity.
4. Family Medicine & Community Health Residency Program at the KU School of Medicine
This residency program at the KU School of Medicine highly values community medicine endeavours, such as school-based clinics, HIV care, and the county public health department. Their facility has a focus on integrating behavioral health services with psychology and social work. The University of Kansas hospital also has an entire floor dedicated to family physicians.
5. Family Medicine Residency Programs at the University of Minnesota Medical School
One of the largest medical schools in the United States, the University of Minnesota has 7 family medicine programs – 5 in the Twin Cities and two in Greater Minnesota – each with their own curriculum highlights. This might be the place for you if you are intrigued by having many program options to choose from. They also accept 5-8 residents per program, creating more match opportunities for applicants. The ultimate goal of all UMN programs is to deliver the most exceptional education possible as they train the next generation of family doctors.
6. Family Medicine Residency Program at the University of Nevada – Reno School of Medicine
The University of Nevada – Reno School of Medicine has recently made some educational changes to add family medicine faculty with specific interests, such as obstetrics, sports medicine, and wilderness medicine. In addition, this residency program allows for practicing in many settings, from urban and rural residency programs and traditional family medicine to hospitals or emergency departments.
7. Family and Community Medicine Residency Program at the UNM School of Medicine
The University of New Mexico School of Medicine includes a curriculum in which residents can explore the science and art that forms the basis of health care system leadership. The foundation you receive in their family medicine residency program will help you succeed, regardless of your path after graduation. While their curriculum is structured to be a tailored or flexible experience, UNM offers in-depth training in women’s health, addiction medicine, and population health/advocacy, with a focus on underserved communities.
8. University of South Dakota – Sanford School of Medicine
Sanford offers 3 family medicine residency program options. The Sioux Falls Family Medicine Residency is a top choice for family medicine using both allopathic and osteopathic approaches to patient care. Those interested in both fields could benefit from this program specifically. Moreover, the Pierre Rural Family Medicine Residency accepts 2 residents per year and prioritizes underserved communities. The Rapid City Family Medicine Residency offers extensive post-graduation training and is particularly known for its obstetrics experience.
9. BronxCare Family Medicine Residency Program
If you are an international medical graduate, what is the “best” for you may differ from domestic applicants. You will want to strategically apply to programs that have fewer conditions for accepting IMG applications. For instance, the BronxCare Health System’s Family Medicine Residency Program is one of the largest in the country and is very open to applicants from all over the world. In addition to being in one of the most IMG friendly states, this program has a low exam score threshold that can account for many different types of applicants.
Want to know how to avoid residency application red flags? Watch this video:
List of the Best Family Medicine Programs in Canada
Canada has a smaller number of medical schools and family medicine residency programs overall. This is a snapshot of what to expect when looking for these types of programs in Canada. Here are some of the most impressive opportunities to become a resident in family medicine in Canada:
1. Family Medicine Residency Program at McGill Medical School
Their mission is to contribute to the health of the Québec population as well as in other parts of Canada and internationally by training medical students and residents. Their curriculum focuses on developing research, international health activities, and innovation in practice.
2. Family Medicine Residency Program at Queen’s University School of Medicine
The award-winning family medicine residency program from Queen’s is two years’ long, flexible, and fully accredited by the College of Family Physicians of Canada. It is offered at 4 different training sites: Kingston and 1000 Islands, Belleville-Quinte, Peterborough-Kawartha, and Queen’s-Bowmanville-Oshawa-Lakeridge. While the specific curriculum is unique to each site, all residents who complete the program are meant to leave as capable and competent physicians with the skills to practice family medicine.
3. Family Medicine Residency Program at the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine
The University of Alberta Department of Family Medicine is a leader in medical education preparing you for practice in any location. Residents can customize their schedules based on individual interests and career goals, making the program very flexible as a whole. This program also values collaborative learning between staff and residents in both urban and rural training environments.
4. Family Medicine Residency Program at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine
UBC’s family medicine program is rather well developed, including 20 potential training programs that provide a solid foundation for your knowledge and clinical skills as a physician. Taught and modelled by excellent and award-winning family doctors, their residency programs offer opportunities to gain experience in particular areas. These can include Northern and Rural Family Medicine, Indigenous, Regional, and Urban Family Medicine.
5. Department of Family Medicine at the University Ottawa Faculty of Medicine
The Department of Family Medicine is the largest within the Faculty of Medicine and offers unparalleled experiences in the classroom and clinical settings in both official languages of Canada. Their ultimate goal is for those in the program to become skilled and confident family doctors by focusing on quality patient-centered care, advocating for accessible treatment, and advancing the delivery of evidence-based medical education.
6. Department of Family and Community Medicine Residency Program at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine
The family medicine program at U of T is composed of three streams. The GTA stream reflects the diversity of the Greater Toronto Area in family practice to serve patients from many cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic demographics. The Barrie or Newmarket stream centers on training in one of two large community hospitals in towns outside of Toronto. Finally, the integrated communities’ stream will allow residents to receive training in one of four mid-Ontario communities in their second year.
Tips for Improving Your Chances of Matching to Family Medicine
If you are in the process of figuring out how to prepare your residency application, you may realize that appealing to program directors for a particular discipline such as family medicine takes some extra work. Each specialty requires qualities and experience that are the most suitable for a career in that field.
Write a stellar personal statement
To fully explain your candidacy for residency in your own words, perfecting your family medicine residency personal statement can make you stand out from the crowd; you may wish to bring up how you enjoy the patient education aspects of family medicine, or how you’ll enjoy a broad scope of practice. Perhaps you’re passionate about working with a particular community as a family physician…whatever story you’ve got to share, a personal statement is the place (adhering to word count restrictions, of course) Residency match services are available to review your personal statement and provide individualized feedback, which can go a long way.
“I know I am with the BEST [BeMo] tutors. With their guidance and support along this journey, I was able to MATCH the UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA FAMILY MEDICINE. I used their personal statement and resume review services.” – Anonymous, Former BeMo Student
Acquire strong letters of recommendation
Your family medicine residency letter of recommendation will be highly influential in ensuring a great match. Support from faculty, mentors, or physicians you’ve interacted with while gaining clinic experience in family medicine will be one of the strongest components of your application. Soliciting strong ERAS letters of recommendation through your clinical experience is one way to stand out. Be sure that your referees highlight specific skills and qualities that will make you an excellent candidate for family medicine. For instance, maybe you’re fantastic working with children, have a knack for women’s health, and are very interested in educating seniors on diabetes…all of which occur in a family practice.
Research your options
When you’ve got a list of hundreds programs in front of you, you may feel overwhelmed! That’s why it’s important to research what each program has to offer (yes, it will take time) and what opportunities are available to you is crucial to making this difficult decision. Keep in mind that primary care, such as family medicine or internal medicine, are popular specialties. It’s never too early to do research and make a list of possible residencies you’ll apply to, and set your specific criteria so you’re able to narrow down your list of 20-30 programs that best suit you; this will have to do with your individual preferences, which may be distance from home, a particular state, town or province, or based on reputation.
Brush up on your interview skills
Practice with family medicine interview questions and answers to learn what to expect on interview day. Having strategies to answer specific question types means you’ll be able to handle anything that is thrown at you. For example, you may be asked, “Tell me about a time when you had to deliver bad news to a patient or family.” Or, “Why family medicine?” A residency mock interview or other simulation is one of the best ways to prepare for the real interview process. Receiving tailored feedback from residency interview preparation services to incorporate into your responses can make all the difference in how you perform.
“I took two practice MOCK MMIs with video preparation resources for the same from BeMo, the instructors were great and provided critical feedback that proved really helpful in improving my MMI skills. To be honest, even though I took MMI mocks, the same format applied to my interview preparation for other interviews. My approach to almost every interview question was based on how BeMo guided me for nailing those. I am pleased to let everyone know that I matched to U of T Family Medicine Program.” – Anonymous, Former BeMo Student, University of Toronto
FAQs
1. What makes a family medicine residency program one of the best?
The best program varies by individual needs; so, this is quite subjective! For the sake of example, one of the best residency programs for you may include onsite childcare, be located in a geographic area you’re interested in practicing in, and may have excellent research opportunities for you to explore.
2. Is getting a match to a family medicine residency competitive?
Family medicine is less competitive compared to other specialties, but you’ll still want to stand out as a competitive applicant.
4. What is a residency match rank order list?
A residency rank order list is a list of preferred programs ranked by both applicants and program directors to facilitate matches.
5. Is family medicine a good specialty for international medical graduates?
Yes, it often has high IMG match rates.
6. What should I do to prepare for my family medicine residency application?
Start early with your personal statement and really focus on the experiences and qualities leading you to family medicine. For instance, do you enjoy the broad scope of practice? Do you enjoy patient education, or working with each member of a family? Additionally, aim for high USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK scores, and focus on getting great recommendation letters from superiors in any family medicine clinical or shadowing experience you have.
7. Are situational judgment tests required for residency?
SJTs like CASPer are increasingly common; check specific program requirements.
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