Director's Perspective
Program Director Sara Thompson, MD, talks about what she thinks makes our program unique.
Thank you for considering our program. Choosing a specialty and selecting a residency are both huge steps in the next stage of your medical career. I can't imagine a better specialty than family medicine and, to be honest, a better place to train than Group Health.
We family physicians have the honor and the challenge of taking care of individuals and families over a lifetime. And during that time, there are many inevitable changes: individual health, family dynamics, expectations, the medical system, information and technology, to name just a few. I believe that at Group Health you will be given the tools to meet those challenges with grace and enthusiasm.
Group Health was founded in the 1940s by a group of idealistic physicians and patients — they wanted to establish a system that would provide high quality affordable health care. Over the last 60 years the organization has been a leader in doing just that. As a result, Group Health now leads the country in the development of the patient-centered medical home and is transforming the primary care delivery system.
At recent national conferences Group Health is featured again and again as the model for health care that this country should aspire to — a place where the physician leads a team, each member of the team is fully engaged in caring for the patient, the patients receive the care they want when and how they want it, and there is enough time allowed in the clinic to provide the care needed, all supported by the infrastructure to do this work (guidelines, an electronic medical record, specialty care). As a family physician who has cared for the same panel of patients at Group Health for nearly 30 years, the medical home means providing high quality, team-oriented care that is both stimulating and sustainable. We are in the midst of revolutionizing the practice of family medicine.
I have the honor to work with superb colleagues. The residency faculty are seasoned and dedicated clinicians — among some of the most capable doctors I know. They are highly rated physicians and educators, and they all bring additional depth from outside interests — from ballroom dancing to literature to love of the great outdoors. The sense of collegiality is one of the real pleasures of working and learning in this program and the residents reap the benefit.
Similarly, our residents are also fantastic partners. You will need to meet them to judge for yourself, but I could not be more delighted with the quality of our residents and your future colleagues. They have a broad range of interests, a passion for learning and engaging in the world around them, and a desire to be excellent family doctors.
In summary, I could not ask for more — a remarkable organization, great faculty colleagues, and a group of residents that simply makes me wish we could hold on to them for more than three years. We invite you to learn more about us and are eager to help you find the right path to a fulfilling career.