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Comments from recent graduates:I felt very fortunate to do my training at the Waco FP program. For a small town Waco has an amazingly strong medical specialist community that makes the residency program very welcome. Local specialists in pulmonary, nephrology, and cardiology went out of their to teach me procedures and help me become a better physician. In addition, the state-of-the-art electronic medical records system gave me a goal for what I want in my own practice. Lowell Koppel, MD 1999-2002 It has been 5 months since I left Waco to start my practice in Laredo, and I can honestly say that I miss being a part of the Family Practice Center. The people there were always great to Melissa and me and the staff are wonderful. On a professional note, I have been working as a solo practitioner and Medical Director for 2 hospital-based clinics. I have become the Medical Director for "La Familia" Clinic (Health Department Family Clinic) on a voluntary basis and see patients there one half day per week. On another half day I travel about 50 miles to a small town of about 50,000 people named Zapata to provide prenatal and Gyn care. I am delivering 4-5 babies a month. The other physicians in my call group have been surprised when I handle complicated problems such as DKA, r/o MI, CHF exacerbation, COPD exacerbation, Croup, bronchiolitis, etc. without the need for a consultant. I give credit to FPC for giving me a solid educational background that allows me to practice true family medicine. Mateo Reyes, MD 1997-2000 Residency in Waco was one of the best times of my life. The training I received there has made me feel totally comfortable practicing medicine out on my own. I honestly don’t think better family practice training can be had anywhere in the nation. The faculty is a highly competent group of physicians with a broad spectrum of individual interests that makes for a unique opportunity to learn different ways of doing things. And, most importantly, each and every one of the faculty members has a genuine interest in both the personal and professional growth of the residents. They are an exceptional bunch of people from whom I learned a lot more than just how to be a doctor. The residents that I trained alongside were of exceptionally high quality as well, and are all close friends that I will always remember. Living in Waco was also a pleasant surprise. There are plenty of things to do around town and a good variety of outdoor activities as well. We bought our first home while in Waco, and it was hard to leave…but I will always fondly remember the time that I spent there during residency. Michael Morris, MD 1997-2000 "When I was choosing a residency, I wanted to make sure that all my hard work in medical school would pay off by getting the best training possible. I also wanted to make sure I had the most open doors when I was ready to interview for a job. When I talked to influential family practitioners in Texas, the word was that Waco had been one of, if not the best family medicine programs in Texas for years. My interview confirmed that impression, and my years of training there proved it thoroughly. Its tradition is strong, the faculty are diverse, dedicated and solid, the peers are consistently a mix of broad knowledge and good character, and the hospital and community support is incomparable. Excitingly, it does a great job at balancing building well-trained doctors, while supporting and nourishing them personally. One of the best markers I had of its excellence was how thoroughly prepared I felt when I started my practice, both in my hospital practice and in my new office practice in Lorena, just south of Waco. Interestingly enough, when I came to Waco, I thought it would be a sacrifice to live there while I got great training. Before long, my wife and I grew to love the town, and decided to practice and live there longterm. Waco's size, safety, churches and schools are perfect for my family. The university lends diversity to the culture, the strong medical climate is remarkable, and it's still just a short trip to other universities and big cities and their draws." Tim Martindale, MD 1996-1999 The Waco Family Practice Center has terrific FP faculty, patients, and "volunteer faculty". The volunteer faculty especially are supportive of the family practice curriculum. Orthopedics, General Surgery, Cardiology, Pulmonary, etc are taught by specialists who truly care about our education. The FP faculty are excellent in leading in-hospital rounds as well as outpatient clinic and the lecture series. The nurses and administration staff are experienced and helpful. The breadth of patients cared for by the center gives you a strong background in all types of pediatric and adult medical diagnoses. Kristi Norris, MD 1996-1999 Kristi Norris and I were the first Waco graduates to do the OB fellowship in Austin. As we began the fellowship we were already very well prepared - so much so that the faculty were impressed with our fund of knowledge and this reflected favorably on our faculty and OB experience in Waco. We had done a fair number of c-sections and been involved in High risk OB for 3 years in residency before getting here and some of the other fellows had much less opportunities in these areas. Let's just say I bet if anyone from Waco applied here again, they would be hard pressed to find a reason not to hire them because they have seen the kind of obstetrical training we come with! Lisa Clemons, MD 1996-1999 Why Waco?" I remember being asked soon after match day. I still get this question every so often. "Well, how much time do you have?" From the very first day of residency until now, I have found the Family Practice Center in Waco to be a major blessing in my life. Academically, I had the opportunity to train with and under some of the best doctors I know. Personally, I treasure the role models and friends that I met during residency. Professionally, I am continually amazed at how well FPC prepared me for private practice. The program has some of the obvious benefits of being community-based, well ranked historically, and very family-oriented. Some of the not-so-obvious benefits are the "Team Area Approach" to the outpatient clinic, a complete course in practice management, and a fantastic relationship with medical specialists in the community. It was at Family Practice Center in Team B where I learned what I know about how to address issues related to running a doctor’s office. The financial practice management classes during the third year played a major role in the selection of my current practice situation, with which I am very satisfied. Lastly, one of the things I missed the most about leaving Waco was the closeness of the relationships between FPC doctors and local specialists. There is no doubt in my mind that I received excellent medical training in residency. I am also convinced that the program helped to prepare me for life as a doctor. Best wishes to you in whatever your pursuits may be, and may the Lord direct you to the right place for you. I know He did for me. Karen Yeh, MD 1996-1999 If I knew then what I know now....., I would absolutely, without question choose
Waco all over again as the place to complete my residency. After having
been out in "the real world" for a while, I can better appreciate the
solid foundation of medical knowledge that the Waco residency provided. I
certainly didn't learn everything there is to know about medicine during
residency. Unfortunately, no residency can provide you with that. (Oh, but
wouldn't it be nice!) However, I did feel that in my first couple of years
out of residency I was at least equal to or better equipped to handle most
situations in the different medical fields than many of my colleagues who where
also just out of residency. There is no question that Waco provides the
opportunities to train an excellent Family Practitioner. Even if I did not feel that Waco provided me with such a good education, I would still have chosen it as my residency. Why? Because I could not imagine not knowing all of the people that I met there and not having the good friends that I made. The staff and the residents are truly top notch people that I feel very blessed to have met and come to know. I still feel that I can call any one of the staff there and they would be very eager to help me out or to just talk. They care not only about me as a doctor they train but as a person and that to me is priceless. Sherry Jo Castillo, MD 1995-1998 Waco surely provided me with the experience I desired in order
to become a well rounded physician. We had such diversity in our training
and exposure to patients in Waco. We worked together as a small and tight
knit group to help patients who depended on us. We were given the autonomy
to take care of patients with just the right amount of backup if we needed it.
The staff in Waco were dedicated to helping us and the specialists liked having
us around to help them and learn from them. The Waco residency experience
was excellent! |