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Advantages of choosing an academic medicine clinic for care

HCA Virginia Physicians - October 25, 2023

Choosing the right physician is an important decision for you and your family. A key factor is finding a physician you can relate to and one who meets your communication style and preference. Other key areas that factor into your choice of physicians may include their expertise with your particular health needs, their participation in your health insurance plan, practice location, and operating hours.

Other factors that may not be at the top of your mind but worth considering are the unique advantages of receiving care at an academic medicine clinic where you’ll be cared for by resident doctors under the supervision of attending board-certified physicians.

What exactly is a resident physician?

Resident physicians are medical school graduates who have received their Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degrees and are taking part in a Graduate Medical Education (GME) program. These programs provide physicians between three and nine years of residency training during which time they will gain the knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary to become a competent practitioner in a recognized medical specialty.

Although a resident has completed medical school and received a degree, they are still considered doctors in training. Once they complete their residency training and become board-certified, they are considered a fully credentialed doctor.

“In the Family Medicine Residency Clinic, resident physicians are directly engaged with patients of any age,“ says Scott Lang, MD, who serves as the program director of the Family Medicine Residency at LewisGale Medical Center in Salem, Virginia, and as an attending physician at one of LewisGale Physicians’ academic clinics in Roanoke, Virginia, that specializes in family medicine. “This includes taking histories, performing examinations, making assessments, formulating diagnoses, prescribing medicines, ordering labs and imaging studies, and sending referrals to specialists if needed. There is never a time when they are not supervised, either directly or indirectly, by board certified attending physicians with a breadth of experience and a wealth of knowledge about up-to-date evidenced based community medicine.”

What is an academic medicine clinic?

While resident physicians have already been taught broad medical knowledge and completed supervised clinic experience in a variety of fields, residency programs provide more in-depth training within a specific field of medicine.

As part of this additional training, residents work at an academic medicine clinic that provides them with specialized training in the field of medicine they plan to pursue. Residents provide direct care to patients under the supervision of fully credentialed attending physicians.

What can I expect at my appointment in an academic medicine clinic?

During an appointment at one of our academic medicine clinics, you can expect to be cared for by compassionate, skilled residents and attending physicians. The level and years of training your resident physician has completed will determine the type of appointment you will have during your visit, which may include:

  • Both the resident and attending physician will provide care at the same time for the entirety of your visit.
  • The resident physician will provide the initial examination and care during your visit. The attending physician will then follow up with you at the end of your appointment to review your visit and ensure appropriate care was provided.
  • The resident physician is the only provider you see during your visit. If this is the case, the resident physician has advanced and additional years of training. While you will only see the resident, the attending physician will review your visit with the resident to ensure proper care was provided.
  • Some attending physicians also see their own panel of patients without a resident physician in training. During this type of appointment, you will not see a resident physician.

What are the benefits of making an appointment at an academic medicine clinic and seeing a resident physician?

“Resident and attending physicians at our academic medicine clinics are at the forefront of the most recent research and up-to-date medical knowledge,” says Madiha Kamal, MD, core faculty member for the Internal Medicine Residency program at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery in Blacksburg, Virginia, and an attending physician at LewisGale Physicians’ academic clinic in Christiansburg that specializes in internal medicine. This means patients are receiving state-of-the-art care by both the resident and attending physician, providing an extra set of eyes on your illness or injury.”

Dr. Kamal adds, “Despite the fact they are still in training, there are benefits to seeing resident doctors. Residents generally have more time to spend with their patients and are full of recently attained knowledge.”

There are many unique advantages to choosing an academic medicine clinic for your care. These benefits include:

More time with your doctor

Residents often have more time to spend with their patients because they don’t have a full panel of patients yet. And since you will be receiving care from two physicians, you will have more time overall.

More eyes and ears on your case

Being a patient in one of our academic medicine clinics means that you will be cared for by both a resident and an attending physician. This means you will have two physicians caring for you, putting two set of eyes and ears on your individual care.

Access

We provide convenient access to our providers, and many of our academic medicine clinics offer same-day and next-day appointment availability. This means you can usually be seen faster and have more options for appointment times.

Latest, most up-to-date knowledge

Our academic medicine clinics have academic in their name because we are educators and on top of the latest research. Our residents and attending physicians are on top of the latest innovations in medicine.

On the flipside, you will be playing a vital role in helping our resident physicians receive the training they need to be the next generation of healthcare providers in our community.

What academic medicine clinics does LewisGale Physicians have and where are they located?

As part of the Graduate Medical Education (GME) Residency Programs at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery in Blacksburg and LewisGale Medical Center in Salem where residents participate in educational programs and also provide care to hospitalized patients under the supervision of attending, board-certified physicians, residents also care for patients in an outpatient practice or clinic known as an academic medicine clinic.

The LewisGale Physicians network has five academic medicine clinics, two of which specialize in family medicine and see patients of all ages including newborns, two in internal medicine that see adults ages 18 and up, and one in mental health.

How do I schedule an appointment?

All of our family and internal medicine clinics often have same-day and next-day appointments available. To schedule an appointment, call one of the clinics listed above that best meets your needs.

Will your academic clinics accept my insurance and will they see patients who have no insurance?

Our academic medicine clinics accept most commercial and private insurance plans, Medicare, and Medicaid. Discounts are offered to uninsured patients.

Hospital GME Programs

Learn more about the residency programs at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery and LewisGale Medical Center.