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 of the following specialty clinics.
Procedure clinic takes place a few times/month. 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 primarily in their second and third year 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 program has been instrumental in helping the local judicial system implement a program that includes medication assisted treatment as an option for recovery.
As part of our OBOT clinic we also treat Hepatitis C in collaboration with the University of Washington Project Echo program. We are the only Primary Care Clinic in Lewis County, prescribing Hepatitis C treatment.
“What I enjoy most about our program is the complexity of the patient
population. We help patients with substance abuse disorders, mental health
treatment management, and lifestyle factors common in rural medicine to
help them get back on track to live a healthy life. We provide quality
care for the patient population with evidence-based medicine, deferring
to the latest guidelines and research. We are young and fresh doctors
with new ideas and enjoy the collaboration with our supervising attendings
to create a beneficial combination.”
Dr. Katherine Shield, class of 2021
“I chose the program because I wanted to work in a low resource setting
where I could be prepared for rural and/or international medicine after
residency.”
Zachary Condon, MD, Class of 2026
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.
This clinic is for residents to refer their continuity patients for whom they need guidance on psychiatric medication management. Residents participate in this clinic with a Psychiatrist to gain comfort with psychiatric medication management. 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 per week for urgent care type visits. This specialty clinic gives residents experience with more acute issues and improves our access for patients for their urgent care needs. Besides the time spent in RAC, many residents use elective time to spend time in our local urgent care clinics to gain more comfort with acute concerns.
TCM clinic is done in the 2nd and 3rd year rotations during a clinic day between inpatient medicine rotations. This offers the opportunity to see patients after their hospitalization to help with any post-hospitalization follow up. This allows residents the opportunity 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 rotations but also interspersed longitudinally. These clinics allow focused time for residents to provide annual Medicare Wellness visits for their geriatric patients. During this clinic, residents spend focused time working with our PharmD faculty to address any polypharmacy concerns for these 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
