Filling a void

It’s no secret that there is a shortage of family medicine doctors in rural areas of the country such as Montana. According the to a study by the Bureau of Health Professions, about 20% of the US population—more than 50 million people—live in rural areas, but only 9% of the nation’s physicians practice in rural communities.  Even worse, statistics indicate that more than 70 percent of physicians practice within a 60-mile radius of the residency where they train. Until this summer there was only one residency training program in the state – in Billings.  In fact, the Treasure State ranks dead last per capita for post-graduate medical education.

The Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana program has been developed to address that shortage.

Dr. Frank Reed is the rural residency director for the program, which is sponsored by the University of Montana, Providence St. Patrick Hospital, Community Medical Center, Kalispell Regional Medical Center, and Partnership Health Center, with collaboration from its rural partners.  Dr. Reed explains that only about 8% of doctors entering medical school plan on entering family practice and not all of them are planning on the real full spectrum of family medicine that is required in a rural setting.

“The rural hospitals are very key partners in this program,” he explains, referring to St. Luke Community Healthcare in Ronan and hospitals in Plains, Anaconda, Dillon, Hamilton, Libby and Superior.

He says a primary key is to pick rural applicants who want to go into rural settings to practice rural medicine. He adds, “We want to get them into a rural setting with people who are good at what they do such as you have here (at St. Luke).”

This is the first year of the initial 3-year program and has ten participating residents.

Dr. Ben Grass is a member of the inaugural class and has just completed a three-week rotation at St. Luke Community Healthcare in Ronan.

“This has been an awesome experience,” says the 28-year-old who attended medical school at Dartmouth in New Hampshire. “The scope of practice that I have been able to participate in here, has confirmed for me that this is it – this is exactly what I want to do with my life. Because, here I have been able to do it all.”

Dr. Paul Gochis, Chief of Staff at St. Luke, echoes the young doctor’s assessment of the three-week rotation. He says, “Dr. Grass was a great, first, three-week experience that went over so well for Dr. Grass and St. Luke, that he is encouraging his colleagues to do their rural rotation at St. Luke because of his experience here.”

That endorsement is important in that coming to Ronan in the first year of the residency program is an elective rotation for the new doctors to practicing their trade.

“Community members here have to know just how blessed they are to have a facility and doctors like this right here in the Mission Valley,” Dr. Grass says. Adding, “I haven’t met a person yet at St. Luke who doesn’t take a great deal of pride in the quality of care they provide from pediatrics to geriatrics.”

The young doctor especially has appreciated the extensive obstetrical training that Dr. Gochis has been able to share. “He is brilliant, a huge asset,” says Grass.

Dr. Reed, the self-described “senior consultant” at the residency program, says, “I’m encouraged by what I have heard about Dr. Grass’ experience here in Ronan. He’s the kind of guy who will tell it like it is, and he was very enthusiastic about his experience at St. Luke. It was very, very good.”

“(This program) is like a three year interview process for both the doctor and for the facility,” according to Dr. Gochis. “We get to see them in the ‘heat of battle’ so to speak…see how they treat patients…how they treat staff and how they perform under all sorts of conditions.”

The chief of staff explains that they also “get to see our institution…what kind of healthcare we deliver.” He adds, “Not only do they learn from us, but because of the really bright residents that we have seen so far, it keeps us on our toes. We’re teaching the best, so we have to be at our best, making it a win-win situation.”

Dr. Reed notes that an advantage of having the residency program in western Montana is that “people tend to practice close to where they did their training. And, Ronan is the real cradle of our development training – a real leader in this program with their medical staff and administration” (referring to former St. Luke CEO Shane Roberts and current CEO Steve Todd).

Meanwhile, as an unattached, single male, Dr. Grass says he’s still undecided about where he will settle after completing residency in 2016. He notes though that, “St. Luke is the kind of practice environment that would be ideal for me.”

After completing the residency program in 2 ? years, a future might include a family medicine practice in Western Montana. “I certainly don’t know at this point because there are so many directions I can go,” he says. “However, because of the Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana program, I feel a certain obligation to return to this part of the state.”

For St. Luke, the next opportunity for working with another new resident will come in February.

As Dr. Gochis says, “This program is breaking the trail for developing rural doctors.

What we have seen are leaders, self-starters who are helping shape the program.” He adds that “this is an excellent program which will be good for St. Luke and for rural healthcare in Montana well into the future.”