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Osteopathic and podiatric interns, residents and fellows enhance team approach to care at UH Bedford and Richmond medical centers

Rotations by DO and DPM learners inspire innovation and community outreach

Bedford and Richmond Heights, Ohio – University Hospitals (UH) Regional Hospitals Department of Medical Education, based at UH Bedford and Richmond medical centers, provides physician learners with in-hospital training to serve the growing health care needs of rural, urban and suburban communities across Northeast Ohio. As a result, patients at UH Bedford and Richmond medical centers receive around-the-clock care from a multidisciplinary team of new and experienced physicians committed to providing the highest quality, patient-centered outcomes.

In 2014, the osteopathic (DO) and podiatric (DPM) programs offered by the Department of Medical Education are training more than 100 physician learners – triple the number in 2007, the year Michael P. Rowane, DO, Director of Medical Education, UH Regional Hospitals, began leading and expanding the osteopathic program.

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The physician learners take their expertise and fresh care perspectives to the clinical settings at UH Bedford and Richmond medical centers on a daily basis. “Our comprehensive training programs motivate all of our practitioners – attending physicians, interns, residents and fellows alike,” says Dr. Rowane. “Each patient benefits from our learners’ enthusiasm for innovation and proactive ways to deliver the best care every time.”

The Department’s osteopathic rotations at UH Bedford and Richmond medical centers involve graduate physicians in multiple specialty programs including Allergy/Immunology, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Orthopaedic Surgery, Pediatrics and Sports Medicine. Pharmacy and Nurse Practitioner residency and fellowship programs are also in development.

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The osteopathic educational component has been in existence at UH Richmond Medical Center for nearly 50 years. The podiatric component, led by William J. Saar, DPM, has been training foot and ankle specialists at the hospital for 25 years. The community-centered scope of the podiatric program – recognized as one of the most successful in the United States – continues to expand.

“In September our residents began providing free vascular screenings in the regions we serve, including UH Bedford and Richmond medical centers,” says Dr. Saar, Director of Podiatric Medical Education, UH Regional Hospitals. “To date, they have identified more than a dozen patients in need of vascular intervention and limbs were saved as a result of the screenings.” The podiatric screenings represent the newest dimension of the Department’s focus on community wellness.

The Department of Medical Education’s dynamic blend of academic and clinical learning experiences work to nurture lasting relationships which extend beyond the end of the residency or fellowship. “We connect our physicians to this Northeast Ohio community and show them an attractive career path within it at University Hospitals,” says Dr. Rowane. “Patients at UH Bedford and Richmond medical centers strengthen that connection because they interact with and inspire the next generation of physicians every day.”

“The UH Regional Hospitals Department of Medical Education initiative is vital for our region’s future,” says Robert G. David, President, UH Bedford and Richmond medical centers. “It is an exciting physician recruitment tool that enables us to deliver exceptional quality, patient satisfaction and, ultimately, our mission – To Heal. To Teach. To Discover. – for everyone in our community.”

To learn more about the osteopathic and podiatric training programs that benefit patients at UH Bedford and Richmond medical Centers, call the Department of Medical Education at 440-585-4821 or visit www.uhhospitals.org/richmond/education.
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