West River Health Services (WRHS) is proud to be a teaching hospital in collaboration with the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences to train the next generation of physicians.
Today, the focal point is "What is a Resident Doctor?" A resident is a physician who has graduated from medical school and is now practicing medicine while under the supervision of an attending physician(s) (the physician overseeing the resident). This allows the resident the opportunity to gain experience in diagnosing and treating patients. Essentially, the resident can see patients, diagnose medical conditions, and treat those conditions accordingly.
The first year of residency is finished in Bismarck at the Center for Family Medicine. The second and third years of residency are completed where the resident doctors can train in a truly unique rural setting.
There are currently four resident doctors at WRHS. The residency program in Hettinger provides an excellent opportunity for one-on-one teaching. Attending providers outnumber the residents by 2:1. Each attending has different strengths they share, which makes for an excellent teaching model.
Since 2014, WRHS has integrated family medicine residents into all aspects of the clinic and hospital, providing patients with more options in terms of care. Each of these Family Medicine Residents is a licensed doctor who has dedicated their residency to focusing on this particular course of study and clinical experience to become certified in the specialty of Family Medicine. The three-year program provides them with extensive direct patient education, training, and care to ensure they are at a high level of experience to properly coordinate and manage patient care/needs.
WRHS has graduated six doctors from the program. Currently, five of the six graduates are working in the Midwest and West Coast areas, while one of the graduates has been independently collaborating with WRHS for the past two years with our ER/Hospital Departments. WRHS continues its efforts in recruiting stellar doctors that complete the residency program in Hettinger. Two more residents will be completing the program in the next year.
West River Health Services Rural Track Residency Program has enjoyed top-notch physicians throughout these years and looks to bring top-notch candidates to our region and the medical facility in the future. Hettinger's Site Program Director, Dr. Catherine Houle, invites you to the Meet and Greet to thank the hard-working doctors who have given so much to rural healthcare in the area during Burgers and Brats on August 31 at the Granary in Hettinger from 5:15 to 6:30 pm.
Dr. Catherine Houle's Podcast link below.
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-w6wq3-12ae251