Chehalis Family Medicine hosts multiple specialty clinics within our own site which residents participate in longitudinally. This allows for dedicated focus toward a particular skill set while maintaining continuity with CFM patients. During a clinic week, a resident may be scheduled for one or more of the following specialty clinics.
Procedure clinic occurs weekly. Residents in their second and third year of residency rotate through procedure clinic. Beyond this specialty clinic, residents receive additional procedural experience on gynecology, orthopedics, obstetrics, general surgery, and emergency medicine rotations. Additional elective opportunities are available.
Residents gain independence in performing procedures by completing Basic Skill Qualifications to ensure they have the skills they need to graduate.
Residents all receive buprenorphine training early in their first year. Residents will participate in OBOT clinic all three years of residency as part of their training in addiction medicine.
We are the first clinic in Lewis County to prescribe Suboxone to patients on state insurance. Our residency has been instrumental in helping the local judicial system implement a program that includes medication assisted treatment as an option for recovery.
We also treat Hepatitis C in collaboration with the University of Washington Project Echo. We are the only Primary Care Clinic in Lewis County, prescribing Hepatitis C treatment.
DO residents participate in OMT clinic starting in their first year. This clinic is precepted by our DO faculty to help residents continue to fine tune their skills in manipulation. OMT didactics and workshops are also available for both DO and MD residents. MD residents who desire to use OMT in their continuity clinic are supported in picking up new skills. DO residents can also perform OMT in their own continuity clinics.
Residents can refer their continuity patients to this clinic when they need further assistance managing psychiatric conditions and medications. During this clinic, residents act as facilitators during appointments between patients and a psychiatrist which gives residents extra training in this area. Even though our psychiatrist recently moved out of the area, we have been able to continue with this clinic through a telemedicine model as it has been such a wonderful resource for our patients and residents.
Rapid Access Clinic is held twice weekly for urgent care-type visits. This specialty clinic gives residents additional experience with acute issues and improves patient access to care for urgent needs. In addition to RAC, many residents can spend elective time to spend in our local urgent care clinics.
Appointments during TC clinic are designed to facilitate transition of care from the inpatient to the our patient setting. 2nd and 3rd year residents see patients in TCM clinic on a clinic day during their inpatient medicine rotations. This makes if possible for residents to have continuity with patients they have cared for in the hospital.
Medicare Wellness clinics are done as part of the geriatric rotations in the 2nd and 3rd year and are also interspersed longitudinally. These clinics allow focused time for residents to hone their skills in providing annual Medicare Wellness visits for their geriatric patients.
"Participating in specialty clinics and community medicine opportunities
allowed me to gain confidence in addressing complex psychosocial issues
with my patients while making meaningful connections within the community."
Kate Slaymaker, Class of 2022
