November 14, 2018

Healthcare system becomes site for UND Family Medicine Residency Program

Healthcare system becomes site for UND Family Medicine Residency Program

By Betsy Ryan
Farmer Staff Writer

Attracting doctors to work in rural health medicine has always been a hardship in North Dakota and McKenzie County Healthcare Systems has taken a step to do something about it.
Though Dr. Gary Ramage has been unofficially taking on medical and physician assistant students for rural medicine rotations since the late 1990s, in 2016 McKenzie County Healthcare Systems was formally asked to join the University of North Dakota Family Practice Residency Program to train residents in rural medicine.
Today, third year UND medical student, Kristen Stenehjem, is doing an eight-week family medicine rotation at the hospital in Watford City. Ramage expects two residents and another medical student in 2019.
“We wanted to train doctors in rural health so they could see what rural health in North Dakota is all about,” said Ramage. “The hope is that after training in North Dakota, doctors will be interested in practicing in the state.”

For the full story, subscribe to the McKenzie County Farmer

WATFORD CITY WEATHER