Resident Experience

Testimonials

Residents’ Voices on the Highlights of our Residency and Cleveland

“As a resident at the Cleveland Clinic Family Medicine Program, I can get all of the training experience I desire to meet my future goals as a family physician. The program grants ample elective time which makes pursuing specific career goals easy. Moreover, with the breadth and diversity of specialists within the Cleveland Clinic system, there is almost always a way to create a rotation for a resident’s specific interests. Whether it is addiction medicine, labor and delivery, medical aesthetics, direct primary care, or many others, the Cleveland Clinic Family Medicine Residency Program will work hard to ensure that you get the training needed to achieve your career goals as a family physician.”

-Kyle Kettler, MD, PGY-3, Drexel University College of Medicine

“The field of family medicine is unique and diverse, and I knew I wanted to be at a program that would grant me exposure to not only my areas of passion, but all aspects that a career in Family Medicine has to offer. I am honored to be a resident in The Cleveland Clinic Family Medicine Residency Program where I not only feel supported and encouraged, but truly part of a family! The close knit, family-like environment, coupled with endless resources to succeed, makes CCF the perfect place to grow into the physician I have always hoped to become!”

-Ashley Re, MD, PGY-3, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University 

“My interest in CCF Lakewood increased exponentially when doing a rotation with the program prior to interview season. Everyone was so welcoming, interested in you as a person, and willing to help you learn as much as you can. After my interview, it solidified this program as my top interest as they demonstrated a mission to prepare you to not only be a successful physician but also to serve the communities as an advocate for better health of its community members with emphasis in the program to work closely with your patient panel. The program truly focuses on caring for the whole person and not just viewing patients as diseases and conditions. Also, Cleveland is a great area to explore with a lot to do whether you are interested in the arts, sporting events, various dining venues, or activities with family and loved ones.” 

-Brennan Cull, DO, PGY-2, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine   

“I am so happy to be a part of the Center for Family Medicine team at Cleveland Clinic. Since the start of my medical journey as a medical student and now as I resident, I continue to feel immensely supported by all the faculty, staff, and fellow residents. The program has access to resources that are available when part of a large health system such as the Cleveland Clinic but has the support, feel, and familiarity of a community family medicine clinic. You have endless opportunities to fine-tune your interests and skills in medicine and community population health.  You can also seek additional training within the program in things such as point of care ultrasound, women’s health, procedures, and osteopathic medicine treatment—all the tools you need to become a well-rounded family medicine physician.”   

-Vanessa Guzman, DO, PGY-2, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine 

“I feel privileged to be a part of a team that truly wants to help you become a better physician. I would describe this residency program as a family, and feel that all of our staff, including but not limited to: the nurses, MAs, pharmacists, physicians, and administrative staff, contribute equally to this culture of community. Not only is it a safe space to learn and to grow, but it is also a program with countless resources at your disposal to develop your skills in your particular areas of interest, including, but not limited to: geriatrics, research, ultrasound, integrative medicine, and population health. I am grateful for a great program "home base" in a great location!”

-Caitlin Rader, PGY-1, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine

“I chose Cleveland Clinic Family Medicine because of the people. Since the first day of my rotation in Lakewood, I felt welcomed as a valuable member of the medical team. Through my experience with the teaching faculty, residents and clinic staff, I knew I would be supported during my residency training. My interview day only confirmed that this was the best residency program to grow both professionally and personally. As a resident, I’ve found an even balance between the experience of a community program and the resources of a large academic institution like Cleveland Clinic. I am proud to be a part of the Cleveland Clinic Family Medicine Program.”

-Genaro DeLeon, MD, PGY-1, Indiana University School of Medicine

Resident Wellness

Our residency is committed to model and teach physicians/residents skills of self-care, self-awareness and coping skills to enhance well-being, to minimize risk of burnout and to provide buffers against the stresses of practicing medicine. These programs are supported by all faculty with oversight by the behavioral science faculty.

Research shows these skills increase life satisfaction and improve patient care. Patterns of self-care developed and practiced during residency influence and shape how a physician functions post-residency. Well-being includes learning how to balance life and work, having time to engage with family and friends, as well as to attend to personal needs and to one’s own health, including adequate rest, healthy diet, and regular exercise.

We recognize that residency is a time of growth as well as intellectual, emotional and physical stress and our faculty and staff are here to help and support you on your residency journey. We support and encourage our residents through longitudinal and multi-dimensional program offerings, a few are highlighted in this section.

Our program focuses upon a longitudinal curriculum based on these four pillars of well-being:

• Professional.
• Physical.
• Psychological.
• Social.

Through support groups, activities that teach the importance of self-reflection and camaraderie in developing emotional and mental resources. Our goal is to help residents hone a set of life skills to help manage and balance the inherent stressors of physician training as well as the life of a physician after residency.

AGCME Statement on Well-Being

According to ACGME Common Program Requirements (2017):

“In the current health care environment, residents and faculty members are at increased risk for burnout and depression. Psychological, emotional, and physical well-being are critical in the development of the competent, caring, and resilient physician. Self-care is an important component of professionalism; it is also a skill that must be learned and nurtured in the context of other aspects of residency training. Programs…have the same responsibility to address well-being as they do to evaluate other aspects of resident competence.”

About Our Approach

Our residency has a longitudinal approach to well-being to help develop psychological, emotional, and physical well-being practices throughout their three years of training. Our goal is for residents to understand and develop the best practices to enhance “the self of the physician” through learning, experiences, sharing and education. Our intention is for all residents to also gain the following:

• Tools and practices to help combat and manage physician burnout and fatigue management.
• Ability to identify depression, anxiety, stress, and suicide risks and ways to prevent or seek treatment for physicians, both self and colleagues.
• Self-reflection skills that expand personal insight and increase emotional intelligence.
• Mindfulness skills to enable creation of a personal practice to help with physician resiliency.
• The ability to form supportive relationships and the power of community.
• The power of wisely sharing vulnerability instead of hiding it and learning to value it as one aspect of internal transformation.
• Self-care wellness skills and the ability to create a personal wellness plan.

Residents will be learn about psychological, emotional, and physical well-being principles and practice throughout their three years of training via these experiences and more:

• Support Groups: Our support groups meet monthly for your first year as PGY1 and then PGY2 and PGY3 residents will meet a few times annually, in order to:
  
  • Develop a community encouraging friendships and collegiality based upon open communication, mutual care and support.
  • Share resources and provide peer support to help residents through the stressors of their residency.
  • Provide integration and learning of strategies for self-care as preparation for a career in medicine.
  • Provide a safe environment to address stressors, communication problems, personal and relational concerns, to share celebrations & concerns, develop coping skills and discuss residency concerns.
• Didactics
• Community Team and Relationship Development Activities
• Families Program
• Wellness Day
• Balint Group
• KORU Mindfulness Curriculum
• Myers-Briggs
• Self of the Physician
• Physical and Mental Health

Resident Life

Collegial Atmosphere

We believe in collaborative learning and mutual support. Our overall success is dependent on our ability to work as a team.

Home Call

Our 2nd and 3rd year residents take home call for the Family Medicine service. They come into the hospital for admissions. If there are admissions after midnight, the resident is considered “post-call” and will be off the following afternoon to adhere to the ACGME call guidelines.

Teaching Opportunities

As 2nd and 3rd year residents, you can be scheduled with a medical student. Residents have the opportunity to teach medical students in the clinic and on their Family Medicine Inpatient rotation. Fairview has 3rd year students come for clerkship rotations, and 4th years rotate if they are interested in Family Medicine. We have students who come from CCF Lerner College, Case Western Reserve University, Ohio State University, University of Toledo, Ohio University and LECOM. Students from any LCME OR AOA accredited schools are welcome. Residents also have the opportunity to work with 1st-3rd year medical students through the Transformative Care Continuum.

Salary and Benefits

The table provided displays the annual salaries of Family Medicine residents at Lakewood Family Health Center, as well as all CCF residents. These numbers are contingent upon the resident's level of training throughout the residency program. In addition to an annual salary, residents are also rewarded excellent benefits. Read below to learn more about Family Medicine resident benefits.

Continuing Medical Education

• Educational Allowance:
  Cleveland Clinic GME will provide each clinical trainee an annual academic year educational allowance of $1,000.00 for the purpose of enhancing their learning experience. These expenses must be for the clinical trainee.
• GME Travel Policy:
  Cleveland Clinic strongly encourages our residents and fellows to participate in scholarly/research activities, which are mandatory in many training programs. The aside funds to allow all clinical trainees at a PGY2 or above level in our GME training programs to qualify for one annual sponsored trip with a maximum reimbursement of $2,500.00.

GME On Call Meal Policy

Trainees that are in programs that require them to be on in-house overnight call will receive a meal allowance of $20 per call. Funds are loaded onto trainee badges twice yearly, January 1 and July 1.

Hand-Held Mobile Device

Residents will be provided an iPhone upon the start of their residency. Residents will be required to use this phone as their cell phone contact throughout their residency. The phone will be turned in at the completion of their residency. Residents may also use other devices as long as they are compatible with the applications used by the program.

Health Benefits

Residents receive health coverage through the hospital's flexible health benefits program.  This includes the opportunity for dental insurance.
A life insurance policy equal to the resident's salary and a disability policy are provided at no charge to the resident.
Medications may be obtained at invoice cost at the hospital pharmacy.

Parking

Convenient, free covered parking is provided.

Professional Dues

Membership dues for the American Academy of Family Physicians, Ohio Academy of Family Physicians, Cleveland Academy of Family Physicians, AOA, and ACOFP are provided by the hospital.

Professional Liability Insurance Coverage

Residents are covered by the hospital's professional liability insurance while performing duties within the scope of their medical education.

Maternity/Parental Leave and FMLA

Maternity Leave

Eight (8) weeks paid leave is provided for Maternity Leave beginning with the birth of the child. Trainees must notify their Program Director of a need for Maternity Leave as soon as possible. Maternity Leave must be taken concurrent with available FMLA and Caregiver Leave. Maternity Leave must be taken continuously. See GME manual for complete policy. 

Parental Leave

Four (4) weeks paid Parental Leave is provided to Trainees for the birth and care of their newborn child or for placement with the Trainee of a child for adoption or foster care. Trainees must notify their Program Director of the need for Parental Leave as soon as possible. Parental Leave must be taken concurrently with available FMLA and Caregiver Leave. Parental Leave must be taken continuously. See GME manual for complete policy. 

Any time beyond the available vacation/sick/elective time must be made up in order to adhere to the ACGME rotation guidelines.

FMLA

Pursuant to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Cleveland Clinic allows eligible Trainees time off from work (up to 12 work weeks in a rolling 12-month period) for qualifying employee and family members’ serious health conditions and family care events. Except in the case of leave to care for a covered service member with a serious illness or injury, an eligible Trainee's entitlement is limited to a total of 12 work weeks of leave during any leave year for all qualifying FMLA leaves. FMLA leave will run concurrently with other qualifying leaves (e.g. Workers' Compensation, Short-Term Disability Leave, Maternity Leave, Parental Leave, Caregiver Leave, etc.). FMLA is unpaid unless it is taken concurrent with available vacation or other applicable paid leave of absence. See GME manual for complete policy.

Vacation and PTO

All residents receive 3 weeks (15 working days) of paid vacation for each academic year. These vacations must be scheduled in advance. Each resident is given a vacation request form prior to each academic year. Residents are encouraged to take 1 week vacation at a time and spread throughout the year. The number of residents or faculty allowed to be away at one time is limited, so vacation times may need to be adjusted to meet practice and residency needs.

According to ACGME RRC requirements, allopathic residents cannot be away for more than 1 month per academic year without making the time up at the end of residency. Our program has converted this to a maximum of 22 working days a year away. After subtracting the 15 vacation days, that leaves 7 days for sick leave.

Alumni

Our Family Medicine Residency graduates are more prepared than ever to make a difference!

In over 40 years as a Family Medicine Residency Program there have been 251 graduates. These former residents are now practicing in 29 states across the United States. 144 of our graduates have set up practices in the state of Ohio, 114 of which are in Northeast Ohio.

At the completion of their residency, our graduates are well prepared for any practice setting. They have been very successful in finding rewarding practice opportunities in urban, suburban and rural sites in Ohio and around the country. They have also found unique opportunities focusing on their specific interests.

Practice Settings:

• Concierge.
• Direct Primary Care.
• Teaching Faculty at Residency Programs.
• Outpatient Primary Care.
• Inpatient/Hospitalist.
• Emergency Medicine.

Fellowships:

Our graduates are accepted into competitive fellowships in a variety of areas of concentration. A sampling of our recent graduating residents:

• Sports Medicine.
• Health Policy.
• Community Health.
• Geriatrics.
• Women’s Health.
• Adolescent Medicine.

Graduates

Living in Cleveland

About Cleveland

Cleveland, an ethnically diverse, mid-sized city located on Lake Erie, features a host of cultural attractions, recreational activities, major sporting events and an exploding culinary scene. Cleveland is home to the second largest theater district in the U.S., a park system featuring 23,700 acres in 18 reservations, and is the birthplace of rock ’n’ roll, home to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Cleveland Clinic is located near the University Circle area, which is the cultural epicenter of Cleveland. This area features Severance Hall and the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland Museum of Art, several other museums, and Case Western Reserve University. Downtown Cleveland, home to all major sports venues and an exploding culinary scene, is approximately two miles from Cleveland Clinic’s main campus.

• Learn more about the city we call home, including our diverse neighborhoods, our vibrant culture, our beautiful outdoors and more
• Learn more about all that Cleveland has to offer

About Lakewood

Lakewood, Ohio is located on the southern side of Lake Erie. As the 3rd largest city in Cuyahoga County, Lakewood is home to around 52,131 residents and consists of 6.69 square miles.

Other highlights of Lakewood include:

• An award-winning economy.
• Diverse population.
• Lakefront location.
• Updated schools.
• Nearby golf courses.
• Varied housing options.
• Short commutes.
• Stunning outdoor attractions.

Compared with other Ohio cities, Lakewood’s population is largely diverse and educated.

Population Demographics

• 51.1% are female.
• 48.9% of residents are male.

Ethnicity

• 82.1% are White.
• 6.7% are Black.
• 5.1% are Hispanic.
• 4.3% are biracial.
• 1.6% are Asian.
• .1% are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders.

Education Demographics

• 93.9% of residents 25 years and over have at least a high school degree.
• 43.7% hold a bachelor’s degree or above.

Only 4.9% of residents are unemployed, and the majority of residents prefer to rent rather than own their property.

Health Insurance Demographics

• 91.7% of the population of Lakewood, OH has health coverage.
• 56.7% are on employee plans.
• 16.8% are on Medicaid.
• 8.99% are on Medicare.
• 8.4% are on non-group plans.
• 0.859% are on military or VA plans.

Per capita personal health care spending in the place of Lakewood, OH was $8,712 in 2014.

• Learn more about the city of Lakewood