• EC-HealthNet Family Medicine Residency will provide the residents with a comprehensive and well-structured cognitive and clinical education that will enable them to become competent board- certified family medicine physicians, who are able to provide high quality patient care to the community, and to relieve the regional and national physician shortage.

 

• EC-HealthNet Family Medicine Residency will offer the residents training opportunities in rural Mississippi communities that will give them not only the knowledge but the confidence to practice rural medicine in small towns with limited access to care.

The program will accept applications through ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service) and participates in the National Matching Program.

 

• EC-HealthNet Family Medicine Residency Program offers a structured curriculum with supervision of the resident facilitating ethical, professional and personal development, while ensuring safe and appropriate care for patients. Family Medicine Residents will be exposed to excellent education rotations combining teaching, clinical service, compassionate patient care, and research. Progressive supervision of residents by qualified faculty/preceptors and adherence to proper working conditions and duty hours shall be in compliance with the standards and requirements.

 

 

• EC-HealthNet Family Medicine Residency will provide residents with ethical, professional, and educational backgrounds in which the curricular requirements, as well as the relevant requirements for the residents’ work environment, scholarly activities, and competencies can be achieved.

 

• EC-HealthNet Family Medicine Residency is committed to keep the right balance between education and service, as evidenced by work hour schedules inclusive of academic and research opportunities and attendance at clinical training and educational activities.

 

• EC-HealthNet Family Medicine Residency is committed to our residents with an effective curriculum that includes seminars, teaching lectures by the faculty and visiting lecturers, continuous case conferences, journal clubs, and individual supervision. The program offers a difficult air-way course (RCAM a practical guide to managing airways in the rural setting) that is followed up with a cadaver lab where residents practice skills with hands on training from local physicians and Sam Marshall (author of the curriculum). The program also offers an Electrocardiography Course for family physicians (The Essentials) taught by Dr Tom Milhorn (author of the curriculum).

 Residents will also have the option to purchase benefits including:

Long-term disability

Short-term disability

Cancer Policy

How many months of Inpatient Service for Interns?

 

4 full months of adult inpatient care and 2 weeks of pediatric inpatient care.

 

Do residents follow Nursing Home patients?

 

Yes, the residents are assigned patients at a local nursing facility and residents are required to follow them monthly or as needed at their own schedule.

 

What type of Community Outreach is available at EC-HealthNet?

 

The residents participate in many local community events both healthcare and community related.  The residents conduct monthly educational programs with the local free clinic as "A Healthy You", sports physicals with all local schools, health awareness campaigns, homeless coalition, food pantry, local church organizations and health fairs. There are many volunteer opportunities with the local boy scouts, sheriff department, trauma region and the State Health Department campaigns.

 

What is Systems Management?

 

The week prior to and the week of Christmas, all residents attend daily lectures that cover such topics as resident wellness- mental and physical, billing and coding, financing homes, student loan re-payment, practice options, contract negotiations, banking and finance for physicians, financial planning, lectures from EC-HealthNet Alumni- "Life After Residency", skills labs- suturing, casting, OMT, ultrasound

 

What changes will the program undergo in the next 3 years?

Osteopathic recognition through the ACGME

 

What is the Didactic Schedule?

 

Didactics is on Wednesday Afternoon 12:00-5:00 and includes physician lectures, journal club, case presentation, board review study questions, grand rounds monthly. There are skills labs included in the didactic schedule throughout the year.

 

What is the area like and is there to do outside of residency?

 

Meridian has a small town feel with all the amenities you would expect in a larger town.

Meridian is centrally located with an airport and easy access (2-4 hours) from the beach- Gulf Shores AL, Biloxi MS, New Orleans LA, Birmingham AL.

Residents enjoy attending entertainment at the Riley Center, the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience, the Meridian Symphony, the Meridian Little Theatre

and there are many outdoor activities such as Bonita Lakes-  Please visit www.meridianms.org

 

What benefits beyond the salary package are included?

 

The base salary is just that- many benefits are reimbursed to the resident instead of included in the salary.  The program reimburses the resident for medical license, DEA registration, Board Exams, Study Materials- per year, lab coats, conference registration-travel-lodging (upon approval).

 

 

How Much Family/Personal time do residents get?

 

27 days total... The program allows sick days and FMLA according to ACGME regulations.  EC-HealthNet is a family friendly environment.

 

 

Where do most residents live?

 

Meridian and surrounding area.  Most of the residents choose to live in Meridian or Lauderdale County. There are many housing options from apartments, duplex housing, rental houses and some residents have chosen to purchase a home.  We have contacts with local realtors and bankers to help residents in the housing market.  There are many housing options in the surrounding counties also- Newton, Philadelphia, Dekalb, Enterprise, Quitman and West Lauderdale.

 

 

What are the benefits of being an “unopposed hospital?”

 

There are no other residency programs in the region, so the residents have one-to-one learning opportunities with preceptors.  The program hosts medical students on 3rd and 4th year medical school rotations and there are nursing programs at the local colleges so other learners are present within the health systems. The residents get hands on training and medial knowledge which enhances the education experience on rotations.

 

 

What Moon-Lighting opportunities are available?

 

EC-HealthNet residents are encouraged to moon-light and have several options available for this experience.  The residents volunteer at The Free Clinic of Meridian which serves a niche patient population in the region.  The residents are allowed to work in urgent care clinics and emergency departments of local hospitals and critical access hospitals in the region.  The residents are signed off in their PGY-2 and PGY-3 year to work according to knowledge and experience and upon license and DEA registration.

 

 

 

How are faculty-resident interactions?

 

EC-HealthNet faculty and residents work together in many areas of the program, from rules and regulations, to protocols, mock codes and research.  EC-HealthNet began as an AOA accredited program but has since completed accreditation through ACGME.  This new accreditation has brought about many changes and resident input has been valuable as they have a better understanding of the rotations and what improvements will enhance the educational experience.

 

 

What do residents do for fun?

 

The residents gather on occasion for cook-outs and art projects. Meridian has several athletic organizations, Young Professionals of Meridian, The Meridian Theatre, The Riley Center, The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center, Bonita Lakes.  There are many opportunities for concerts, art and dining experiences.  EC-HealthNet sponsors a Christmas Party and Crawfish Boil each year for residents and their families.

 

Criteria for Applications through MATCH

 

EC-HealthNet does not sponsor visa.

 

Applications are only accepted through ERAS.

 

Applicants must have a minimum of 3 letters of recommendation.

 

Applicants must have graduated medical school within the last 3 years.

 

FMG applicants must have completed at least 50% of their medical school rotations in the US.

 

FMG applicants must have passed Step 1, 2 and CE Exams. (no more than 6 combined attempts)

 

FMG applicants must be ECFMG certified.