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In This Issue:
A Round of Education
The Patient Advantage60 Seconds
Like many of the joint programs enjoyed by Faulkner and BWH, the medical and surgical residency program at Faulkner Hospital is well received by faculty and residents alike.
Under the leadership of Faulkner’s Stephen Wright, MD and BWH’s Joel Katz, MD and Bruce Levy, MD, the medical residency program has been continually growing since its inception with the 1998 BWH-Faulkner merger. Likewise, the surgery residency program under the auspices of Faulkner’s Pardon Kenney, MD and BWH’s Stan Ashley, MD, has been an asset to both institutions.
One of the first community hospitals in the United States to be used for residency education, Faulkner is a strong partner-in-training for BWH.
“The Faulkner rotation is quite popular with BWH residents,” said Katz, who explained that exposure to Faulkner’s community hospital setting allows for a more varied case mix, interaction with private community and subspeciality physicians, and a pace that lends more time to patient interactions and education.
The joint residency program is a “total homerun,” said Wright. “The strong matches experienced recently with both hospitals verifies that we are offering a product that meets students’ needs. Offering education in both the primary and tertiary settings is a very attractive commodity for residents,” added Wright.
BWH medial residents apparently enjoy their Faulkner experience, as they named Wright co-recipient of the George W. Thorn Teaching Award in July 2001 for his outstanding clinical education.
“The surgical rotation at Faulkner, which concentrates on all general and select specialty surgery, has been a superb addition to our program,” said Ashley. “In addition to interacting with great teachers at Faulkner and BWH, residents are able to benefit from working closely with Faulkner’s exceptional nursing staff and other outstanding professionals who are part of the patient care team.”
James Bradner, MD, is a medical resident who has reaped such benefits. As one of the six yearly rotating chief medical residents at Faulkner, he very much enjoys being involved with the care of Faulkner’s unique patient population. In addition to his current leadership role, Bradner also spent several months in Faulkner rotations over the last three years.
From Bradner’s experienced viewpoint, the differences in practice at BWH and Faulkner are extremely subtle, but the nature of the residency program provides differing and complementary education. Bradner said “the medical housestaff are committed to providing a seamless transition of care for the patients between BWH and Faulkner.”
Although the Brigham and Women’s/Faulkner Hospitals residency program has a solid foundation, the directors are always looking for ways to capitalize on its untapped potential. According the Katz, future improvements in the medical residency program include expanding residency education at Faulkner’s ambulatory sites, enhancing the curriculum in the Radiology and Neurology departments at Faulkner and optimizing community physicians’ role in resident education. In terms of the surgical residency program, residents will experience and benefit from the increasing volume of surgical cases being performed at Faulkner, as well as the growing variety in such cases.