Family Medicine Residents

Our current residents are a diverse group of people. They take pride in not only working hard together, but socializing with one another and developing genuine friendships. Click on a class to learn more about each resident of Community Hospital East Family Medicine Residency. Explore special programs and frequently asked questions below.

Class of 2026 (PGY-1) Class of 2025 (PGY-2) Class of 2024 (PGY-3)

2019 Family Medicine Center retreat

August 2019 Resident-Faculty Retreat at Eagle Creek State Park

Education Conferences

Every week, residents and faculty meet for one full afternoon to learn about pertinent topics in family medicine. In addition to medical topics, which run the gamut of family medicine, areas covered include behavioral science, medical ethics, complimentary/integrative medicine, practice management and organized medicine. Presenters include full-time faculty, specialists practicing at Community hospitals, residents and various speakers from the community.

Behavioral Science

The behavioral science program serves residents by providing structured educational opportunities in conjunction with in-vivo learning via direct patient care. Through the longitudinal behavioral science curriculum, residents receive education on core behavioral health topics and skills with emphasis on biopsychosocial contextual care. The curriculum also encompasses training on communication skills and aims to foster provider self-awareness and reflective practice. The in-house behavioral health team, which consists of a psychologist and multiple social workers, is available for an array of patient care interventions, thus offering ample in-clinic learning opportunities and support. Additionally, the behavioral health faculty is available to provide support to residents in a professional context throughout their training.

Practice Management

The practice management curriculum acquaints residents with the business knowledge needed to establish a financially viable medical practice. Emphasis is placed on how to build a Patient Centered Medical Home in your future practice.

Retreats

Each year, there is a retreat during a fall weekend that encourages personal growth and residency improvement. Residents and faculty are required to attend; families are invited as well.

Medical Student Teaching

Residents can participate in teaching medical students from first- to fourth-year. These opportunities include educational lectures, hands-on demonstrations and supervising students on clinical rotations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn more about "a day in the life" of a CHE family medicine resident and get answers to common questions about our residency program.

Please contact our residency program coordinator, Jeana Craft, via e-mail or by phone at 317-355-2643. If she cannot answer your questions, she will direct you to a faculty member or resident who can help you.

A Day in the Life

Inpatient Medicine (Service)

As an intern, my service day starts at 7:15 a.m. This gives me enough time to print off our inpatient list and get a cup of coffee. I am in love with our coffee kiosk. Morning report starts at 7:30 a.m. and consists of sign out on how our patients did overnight and reports on any new patients that came in overnight. Our pharmacist and social worker are available at this time for any questions that come up, and there is usually something new to learn every day.

After report and splitting the list between the interns and second year, it is time for a short didactic session which lasts about 15 minutes then off to see my patients. This varies depending on how busy we are. We can see anywhere from two to eight patients. Afterwards, I meet up with the rest of the team for group rounds with our attending. Group table rounds start about 10:30. We will also do some in-person rounding on some of our clinic patients. We are usually done with rounding by noon.

Next, I either get started on discharges and patient follow-up or grab lunch. If possible, I try to meet up with other residents in the hospital at this time. After lunch, it is time to check on patient care, messages from the office, or maybe work on a new admission. Around 1:30, half of the team will go off to clinic for an abbreviated clinic session from 2 to 5 p.m. while the other half of the team will stick around in the hospital to monitor patients and take admissions.

At 6:30 p.m. it is time for evening sign out, and our nocturnal counterparts come in. By 7 p.m., the day team heads home.

Obstetrics

It’s baby time! After grabbing breakfast from the cafeteria, OB service starts off with sign out at 7:15 a.m. Next, after checking to see if there are any active labor patients or scheduled c-sections, I do rounding on postpartum couplets. It’s my favorite time of the day when I get to hold the new babies. If any of those babies are male and need circumcisions, it’s time to head to the circ room. This is followed by a discussion about an OB topic with the attending and fellow team members.

Anytime throughout the day I may need to check on and write a note for a labor patient. If not, I usually grab some lunch with the service team at this time. After lunch, one of the OB’s may need help with a labor patient or c-section. I often spend my afternoons reassuring first-time moms over the phone or checking patients in triage to see if they are in labor.

At 6:30 p.m. it's time for sign out and to head home for dinner.

On Call

What is the call schedule like for interns and residents?

Interns: Saturday night 12-hour calls are spread out over the year. Most interns will average 7-8 shifts during the academic year. On nights, you will be covering either the inpatient service or the OB service. The first half of the year you will only cover the inpatient service. The second half of the year, you will cover either OB or inpatient medicine.

PGY-2’s and PGY-3’s: 12- and 24-hour calls will be spread out over the year. Most PGY-2s will average three 24-hour shifts and two 12-hour shifts during the year. Most PGY-3s will average two 24-hour shifts and one 12-hour shift. PGY-3s are typically done with call by February.

Total call hours are recorded by the chiefs each year. The number of total shifts worked may vary from resident to resident as some may have more 12-hour shifts than 24-hour shifts. However, the chiefs will make sure by the end of residency, the hours worked are equal amongst the residents.

What are my responsibilities while on call?

The intern on call is responsible for admitting any of our Family Medicine Center patients (generally through the Emergency Department), as well as patients who do not have a physician, or patients whose physician does not admit to our hospital. During the second half of the academic year, the interns will also cover the OB floor (following laboring patients and covering triage).

Who will help me out when I’m on call?

Using the team-based model of night float, your senior resident is always present to provide backup. In addition, on-call faculty are just a phone call away to answer any questions you may have. Onsite, there is an OB and nocturnist in house overnight to help with any emergencies.

Vacation and CME

Each resident is given 17 days of vacation plus either the full week of Christmas or the full week of New Years off for a total of 22 days per year. You can schedule these days off a week at a time or by individual days as long as you are not on an inpatient rotation (night float, inpatient medicine, OB, inpatient pediatrics).

On top of the 22 days of PTO, you also have 5 days of CME at your disposal. You can schedule any family medicine related CME in the continental U.S. anytime throughout the academic year, again with the stipulation of not being on one of the inpatient rotations listed above.

You also will have $2500 that is allotted for CME, which can be used for conference fees, plane tickets, hotel fees, food while on the trip, education materials, study resources, etc.

Residency Perks

Our residency program and Community Health Network provide many perks. All food while working in the hospital is free of charge. This includes the cafeteria, Bistro and coffee cart. There is also a physician’s lounge which is always stocked with snacks if these locations are closed or busy.

The residents also have private call rooms for both the resident covering OB as well as the residents covering the inpatient service. These rooms include a bathroom with shower, a computer, bed, TV, refrigerator, microwave and more. These call rooms are also frequently stocked with drinks and snacks.

The residents also have access to workout spaces. These include the BodyZone Fitness Center in the basement of East and other BodyZone locations. The Network also provides tickets to various sporting events from time to time. These have included Pacers, Colts and Indy Eleven tickets.

Community Outreach

Does your program offer opportunities for residents to get involved in the community?

Our hospital and program are actively involved in many community outreach programs. Our residents staff the Gennesaret Free Clinic twice a month. At this clinic, we provide routine care with the assistance of our pharmacy counterparts. Our program is also involved in global health efforts. A group of residents and faculty plan a global health trip every year. Locations visited in previous years include Togo, South Africa and Honduras.

In addition, we have regular access to other community outreach programs, including local health fairs, Special Olympics athlete health screenings, Physician of the Day at the Statehouse, etc. Through our behavioral health rotations, we often visit Warren Central High School and provide lectures to the students about STDs, contraception, etc.

We also have close collaborations with Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine and IU School of Medicine. We frequently provide lectures and workshops to the medical students. In your second and third years, you also have the option to moonlight.

Career Options

What types of practices do your residents go into after graduation?

This varies widely from year to year as each class is unique. Over the last several years, we have had a lot of interest in fellowship opportunities. Fellowship opportunities pursued by recent graduates include: sports medicine, palliative care, geriatric medicine, maternal health and hospital medicine. Those who do not go the fellowship route typically decide between outpatient vs. inpatient medicine. We have graduates in solo practices and in large multi-specialty groups. Most remain in Indiana or the Midwest, but many are in practices across the country from coast to coast, and a few have chosen to practice in underdeveloped regions outside the U.S.

Electives and Research

Do you have other elective opportunities?

A variety of other elective opportunities are available locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. You also can propose elective weeks to tailor your residency experience to your educational needs. The first year schedule is full of required rotations; therefore, there is not much opportunity for electives in your first year. However, second years typically have six weeks of elective time and third years have 12-13 weeks of elective time.

What about research?

Residents will participate in quality improvement or process improvement projects that fulfill the scholarly activity requirement outlined by the ABFM. Faculty will facilitate these projects. Residents are expected to present their projects locally or regionally. Residents are encouraged to pursue additional research opportunities if they desire. The vast majority of faculty are willing to assist with additional research projects.