FoundationAnnualReport2022

Fellowship is designed for candidates with long- term career goals in end-of-life care or a desire to pursue end-of-life care as a specialty practice or as an adjunct to their career in primary care. The program is a one-year fellowship leading to board eligibility in hospice and palliative medicine. Every year, approximately 15 third-year medical students from Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine are based at Firelands, where they complete their third- and fourth-year rotations. They rotate primarily through the Firelands system, including the hospital, and spend time at physician offices, nursing homes, and other nearby hospitals. Some of the students choose to stay at Firelands for their residency training in either the family medicine or transitional year programs. “Some medical students believe that they need to train in large, urban-area healthcare systems to have an optimized learning experience, but the students that come to Firelands discover plenty of learning opportunities. The third- and fourth-year medical students who rotate through Firelands create a special and unique academic environment in our community-based healthcare facility,” explains Matt Braniecki, DO, director of Student Medical Education and a faculty member of the Transitional Year and Family Medicine residency programs. The availability of these training programs has resulted in approximately 50 local physicians completing at least some of their training at Firelands, and 70% of the Department of Family Medicine members are family medicine residency graduates. Many Firelands Regional Medical Center’s longstanding commitment to training future physicians has contributed to the area’s high-quality, comprehensive offering of healthcare services. The Firelands Medical Education Program began in the late 1960s when Dr. Loren Leidheiser established the physician internship program at Sandusky Memorial Hospital. Since that time, the program has undergone several changes and additions. Today, Firelands offers three graduate medical education programs: Family Medicine Residency, Transitional Year Residency, and a Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship, as well as serving as a clinical training site for third- and fourth-year medical school students from the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. The three-year Firelands Family Medicine Residency is dedicated to training highly skilled and qualified physicians to manage the many aspects of family medicine. Family medicine residents are provided wide-ranging opportunities for hands-on learning from Firelands physicians practicing numerous specialties. Many of our graduates participate in fellowships and provide leadership in local, state, and national organizations. A one-year program, the Firelands transitional year residency, provides a robust clinical base for any specialty residency. Most graduates are accepted into dermatology, radiology, anesthesiology, and physical medicine and rehabilitation residencies. The Firelands Hospice and Palliative Medicine Firelands Medical Education Program Matt Braniecki, DO Director of Student Medical Education Eric Mast, DO Director of Medical Education and Family Medicine Residency Program Director Investin in the Future 10