Pierre Rural Family Medicine Residency was established in 2017. This program is one two family medicine residency programs housed within the Center for Family Medicine which is based in Sioux Falls. The Sioux Falls Family Medicine Residency was established in 1973. Our programs are sponsored jointly by Avera McKennan and Sanford Health Hospitals (combined bed capacity nearly 900) and are affiliated with the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. Family physicians serve as the primary faculty, and other specialist attendings complement the teaching rotations. The residency is fully accredited and accepts two residents per year.
The basic three-year curriculum is explained on the website. The program was designed so residents can individually tailor it to meet their needs and interests. The first year is spent in Sioux Falls getting the experience and exposure of cases and specialists available in a large urban hub. Residents spend their second and third years in Pierre which offers broad clinical training and emphasizes the adaptability required for rural practice.
In addition to the required and elective rotations, there is an in-house curriculum which consists of daily noon conferences encompassing various disciplines, complemented by other scheduled conferences and journal clubs. These meetings ensure exposure to the wide variety of problems encountered in family medicine and give insight to those conditions which are not so common.
The outpatient experience increases as the resident’s progress through the program and develop a “practice”. The residency is fortunate to have a patient population that spans all age groups and socioeconomic levels, representing a true cross-section of the community. The residents will experience similar patient diversity in practice.
