While a strong curriculum is already in place for the family medicine residency at St. John's, continuous efforts are made for improvements and updating. Resident input into the following new topics has been vital.

Community Oriented Primary Care

We are improving our community experience and exposure, by encouraging residents to explore the following options: arranging for volunteer work at a local homeless men's shelter and women's crises pregnancy center, doing health education projects at local school districts, and providing access to other clinics for resident rotations. We will continue to expand this "community" focus.

Longitudinal Curriculum

Most of our rotations are "block" rotations, but many family medicine programs are adopting a longitudinal curriculum. We are looking into implementing a longitudinal approach in several areas (dermatology, ENT, urology, ophthalmology, surgery, etc.) with the goal of building on skills and knowledge throughout the three year program. This longitudinal approach is currently being used in the behavioral science, sports medicine, gynecology, and obstetrics curricula, as well as in colposcopy training, and we plan to extend this approach in the future.

Evidence-Based Medicine

Excellence in patient care in the era of modern medicine, particularly when working in a managed care environment, requires special efforts to focus our teaching on medical practice that is firmly grounded in available evidence from the literature. We have been involved in teaching and research aimed at helping residents focus their reading in productive ways to keep up with evidence and research that will improve their day-to-day understanding and practice of medicine. A series of didactic sessions will teach the principles of EBM.

Practice Management

Our practice management curriculum focuses on the needs of our residents as they move into their own practices after graduation, and work with third party payers more frequently. In the past this curriculum has included lectures with faculty, as well as seminars or workshops for family medicine residents throughout eastern and central Missouri in conjunction with the University of Missouri.

Natural Family Planning

Residents and faculty of Mercy Family Medicine have the advantage of working with teachers of the Creighton Model of Natural Family Planning. This method can provide useful information to physicians trying to help couples with reproductive and/or gynecological problems. The science of NaProTechnology (Natural Procreative Technology) allows a physician to treat patients with these problems while maintaining the normal physiologic and reproductive potential that may still be present. Residents interested in learning more about the medical science of NaProTechnology can work with a certified Medical Consultant in Natural Family Planning (Peter Danis MD). In the second or third year, residents can pursue an elective leading to certification as a medical consultant in natural family planning.