Photo By Douglas Stutz | A jump for joy like no other: The Navy’s newest board certified family physicians...... read more read more
BREMERTON, Wash. - The Navy’s newest board certified family physicians are ready to join the fleet as Naval Hospital Bremerton’s Puget Sound Medicine Residency held the annual Family Medicine Resident Graduation Ceremony June 26, 2015.
The Family Medicine Resident Graduation Ceremony showcased Navy Medicine’s strategic imperatives of Readiness, Value and Jointness by featuring four third year residents who are becoming the Navy’s newest family physicians, with each transferring to other duty stations throughout the fleet.
There are also six additional Family Medicine first year residents who are continuing their training with the other residents, although instead of most returning to NHB, the majority are continuing on elsewhere.
“This is bittersweet. It’s a major milestone. We’re saddened that they’re leaving. There’s no incoming to replace those departing. But the future is about change and these young naval medical officers will help shape that change. I am impressed and proud of them all. Navy Medicine is in good hands,” said Capt. Erik Schweitzer, NHB Family Medicine program director, addressing command leadership, visiting dignitaries, staff members, friends, family, co-workers and three overlapping groups of medical students all at various stages of becoming board certified family physicians.
Family Medicine third year residents departing are Lt. Derek A. Austin for USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) out of Norfolk; Lt Jacques M. Bouchard, assigned to Naval Branch Health Clinic, Iwakuni, Japan; Lt. William E. Michael for Naval Hospital, 29 Palms, Calif.; and Lt. Katherine A. Snyder, for Naval Health Center, Quantico, Va. Lt. Steven Elek, IV, and Lt. Ruth E. Smith will still be in residency status until the actual dates of their graduation on Dec. 13, 2015 and Oct. 20, 2015, respectively.
“Our residents represent all that’s good about Navy Medicine. They also add to our legacy. We are sending fully trained and fully skilled physicians across the globe to care for our service members,” Capt. Christopher Quarles, NHB Commanding Officer who has served at NHB three times from intern to resident to his current status.
Quarles also noted that newly board certified family physicians have always been an important part of the command’s overall mission of shaping military medicine through training, research, graduate medical education, joint efforts and collaborative partnerships.
“There is no better example of Readiness than these new physicians who are now part of an exclusive fraternity. I also thank their families and our faculty in helping make them the best in the world at their profession,” added Quarles.
Family Medicine first year Residents and the graduating intern class continuing their residency are Lt. Erik L. Anderson, at Flight Surgery, Pensacola, Fla.; Lt Paul E. Flood, Jr., continuing residency at Dewitt Army Community Hospital, Fort Belvoir, Va.; Lt. Kay L. James, continuing residency at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, Calif.; Lt. Shawn M. Myers, continuing residency at Valley Medical, Seattle, Wash.; Lt. Mary Elizabeth Ray, continuing residency also at Dewitt Army Community Hospital; and Lt Matthew J. Parrott, at NHB for General Medical Officer training.
Continuing their residency are Lt. Eamon C. Keleher, Lt. Jeremy R. Kenison, Lt. Hy G. Pham, Lt. Cmdr. Ray-Bernard Portier, Lt. Janelle K. Riley, Lt. Timothy D. Wilcox, and Lt. Bryan E. Wooldridge.
Former faculty member of the Puget Sound Medicine Residency, Rear Adm. (retired) Mike Anderson highlighted his remarks as guest speaker by stressing to the graduating physicians that they are three important things they need to remember as they continue on in their career.
“One; since the Gallup Poll started taking public opinion, physicians have consistently rated higher in honesty and ethical standards than many others such as clergy, lawyers and police officers. Doctors are the most trusted profession and carry greater weight. A physician doesn’t take short cuts with patient care. Two; you have to continue to have your skills sharpened to a razer’s edge. Residency is just the start of our goals and maintaining your board certification is paramount. Three; I cannot overemphasize being committed to your community. You and your patients are part of that community. Seek way to improve and practice family medicine in the community,” said Anderson, current vice president at Harrison Medical Center.
Lt. Cmdr. Francesa Cimino, another former faculty member now serving at the White House was also scheduled as a guest speaker, but duty called and her remarks were shared by Capt. Schweitzer.
According to Schweitzer, the graduate medical education (GME) program has had an essential role at NHB in maintaining Navy Medicine’s proficiency and readiness to support national operations stateside, overseas, aboard ships, with the Marine Corps and other fleet assets.
The NHB Residency program goes back to the initial years of 1982 to 1987 and then became Puget Sound Family Medicine Residency (PSFMR) in 1990 with three interns and two second year resident training officer. From that initial group, there have been a total of 189 residents and 125 graduates.
Dr. Ron Dommermuth, retired Navy captain and physician, has the longest tenure associated with the program. He went through his residency as a young Navy lieutenant from 1991to1994, and then returned as a staff physician, followed by assignments as assistant program director, program director, director of medical services and currently as a faculty physician in a civilian capacity.
This year’s graduating class is one of the last to be honored at NHB for the program will be slowly phased out with residents redistributed to other Military Treatment Facilities (MTF) through 2016.
The decision is based on a Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) hospital study conducted from 2011 to 2013 on nine Navy MTF’s across the U.S. The study evaluated the MTF patient population needs, which showed advances in clinical medicine along with technology, resulted in a migration of care from inpatient to predominately outpatient services and provided an opportunity to shift to ensure there is a correct mix of personnel and service to meet the needs of active duty service members, family members and retirees.
“The changes brought on by the hospital study were done to help consolidate Navy GME. This was never about quality training, and NHB has the accolades to prove it. While we our sad to lose our piece of Navy GME we will continue to look for opportunities with the Uniformed Services University of Health Services Family Nurse Practitioner program, perhaps Army GME, medical students and our many civilian students via our memorandum of understand(s) with the school,” Quarles said.
The Family Medicine Residency program at NHB has long been considered unique in that the residents train to become family physicians in a community hospital setting. In such an environment, the family medicine residents become primary physicians for their patients on all inpatient and outpatient services. Residents have also received additional experience in the Intensive Care Unit and Neonatal ICU at Madigan Army Medical Center and on the Pediatric Wards and Emergency Room at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, both in Tacoma, Wash. PSFMR also partners with the University of Washington Family Medicine Network which has been consistently rated the top training program in the country. In addition, PSFMR was rated as the top rotation site by UW medical students.
PSFMR traditionally has a total of 18 residents, usually averaging approximately six per year per group. The Family Medicine staff at NHB has received additional training in Faculty Development, with two having completed the two-year (U.S. Army) Madigan Fellowship. PSFMR staff and residents have been recognized by the Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians for their research efforts, and they have been published in such noted medical journals as American Family Physician, The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, The Journal of Family Medicine and Military Medicine.
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.29.2015 13:01 |
| Story ID: | 168507 |
| Location: | BREMERTON, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 484 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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