The past 3 years have been such an amazing experience. When I graduated medical school, I prepared myself and expected residency to be tough...and as expected, I learned a lot about medicine and became more confident in my skills. But I was not prepared and did not expect residency to be as fun as it was! The people at HFM have made the last 3 years amazing.
The faculty in our program care so much about not only teaching but helping residents in every aspect of life. As my advisor, Dave took it upon himself to offer talking to Nick about his career goals since he knew that would help me figure out my career.
The administration team goes above and beyond to make sure that residents have any support they need. If I was ever unsure about anything, I always knew I could pop over to Nancy's desk. Sandi would response to emails within minutes (even on nights and weekends). Sandi would also try so hard to make every scheduling request work (I made a few requests to avoid call during the rare times Nick and I could get a full weekend off together...I would make it clear that these were not urgent and that I'd understand if it wasn't possible...but Sandi would usually find a way to make it happen (or apologize profusely if she couldn't make it happen).
All the employees at HFM make you feel at home. The security guards would say good morning every single day when I walked in (It would put a smile on my face even on days that I was stressed and rushing in late with a frown on). The evening security guards would always walk outside when I left after evening clinic to make sure I got to my car safely.
Those are just some examples of how the people at HFM have been such an important part of the past 3 years. It goes without saying that the patient care and dedication that everyone has to help our community is extraordinary.
Sorry this is so long but I wanted you to know how awesome it has been training here. It has truly been a privilege.
Robbyn Upham
Class of 2013,
Currently working at Manhattan Sq. Family Medicine in Downtown Rochester
Why did you choose Family Medicine?
Although I did not appreciate it at the time, the psychosocial medicine curriculum at the UR has also been a huge part of my development as a physician. When I started, I didn’t even know what I didn’t know about this topic. Over the course of that 5mo block, I built my skills in interviewing, counseling, understanding individuals within their family structures, recognizing physical manifestation of psychological disease, and the havoc that addiction plays for individuals, families and our society. What a gem! Rochester itself was also a draw, as my family was looking to “settle down,” in a nice community where the pace of life wasn’t quite as fast as it was in the NYC area. I chose family medicine after doing a year of OBGYN at another program, and finding out it wasn’t a great fit for me. Although
I loved delivering babies, I missed medicine and interacting with other members of the family unit besides the mom and new baby. I felt like I was limiting myself too much – I don’t have the ability to focus on a single aspect of medical care and only address that issue, and neither do patients! I’m all about the whole person, and about building long-term relationships that significantly enhance my ability to diagnose and treat within the clinical encounter.
Why did you choose UR Department of Family Medicine?
On my interview day, I could clearly see that the UR dept was dynamic, engaging and full of people who clearly loved their work. It was easy to see that the dept had a vision to take care of entire families, educate residents and have a great time doing this. I found this infectious, and was attracted to others’ attitude and passion for their work. On top of that, my interview with our program director, Steve Schultz, was not to be forgotten! What a breath of fresh air in the midst of my life at that time. I invite you to stop on by to get further details on that one! It is a great story.
Although I did not appreciate it at the time, the psychosocial medicine curriculum at the UR has also been a huge part of my development as a physician. When I started, I didn’t even know what I didn’t know about this topic. Over the course of that 4mo block, I built my skills in interviewing, counseling, understanding individuals within their family structures, recognizing physical manifestation of psychological disease, and the havoc that addiction plays for individuals, families and our society. What a gem! Rochester itself was also a draw, as my family was looking to “settle down,” in a nice community where the pace of life wasn’t quite as fast as it was in the NYC area.
What have you enjoyed the most?
Tough question. Residency is hard, no matter what you do – especially intern year. What I have found particularly valuable about this program, however, has been the commitment of the faculty and staff to resident education, from technical to personal. Not only do we take care of the whole person – body, mind and spirit – we also take care of each other – body, mind and spirit. This is not a place where you show up to work, do your job, and go home. We are so much more than that! We work hard, play hard, and are invested in each other’s well being in significant ways.
Tough question. Residency is hard, no matter what you do – especially intern year. What I have found particularly valuable about this program, however, has been the commitment of the faculty and staff to resident education, from technical to personal. Not only to we take care of the whole person – body, mind and spirit – we also take care of each other – body, mind and spirit. This is not a place where you show up to work, do your job, and go home. We are so much more than that! We work hard, play hard, and are invested in each other’s well being in significant ways.