- Hello, and thank you for your interest in our program.
I am Dr. John Merfeld, the Program Director
of the La Crosse-Mayo Family Medicine Residency Program.
Though many years ago now,
I am also a graduate of the program,
so I feel like I have a unique perspective
of our program from the resident view to the faculty view
and then now to my role as program director.
Our program has been in existence since 1976
and we now have 226 graduates scattered
throughout the nation,
serving patients throughout many practice settings
and performing in a variety of roles.
Most of our graduates practice
in traditional full-scope family medicine settings,
though several practice as emergency physicians,
hospitalists, faculty physicians,
and including many in other leadership positions.
We have six residents per class
and we have made our residency
a family-oriented, tight-knit environment.
We pride ourselves in the ability to provide you
with a true full-scope family medicine experience here.
We are the only residency here at Mayo-La Crosse,
so you are able to work directly
with our specialty colleagues
while on your specialty rotation.
That one-on-one interaction, learning,
and educational experience is just one
of the many benefits of our program here in La Crosse.
The most important element of our program is the people.
From our residents to our faculty,
our administrative assistant and program coordinator,
our rooming and nursing staff, our scheduling staff,
as well as our administrative colleagues,
this place is truly special
because of the people and relationships.
The largest department in our organization here
in Southwest Wisconsin is family medicine.
Because of that, family medicine is viewed
as an integral healthcare member
of the delivery of healthcare to our patients.
Our specialty colleagues here also recognize that
and value the role that family physicians,
including our residents,
play in our local healthcare system.
Our residents from day one are treated as a colleague
in the delivery of quality,
safe, cost-conscious medicine.
It is a wonderful atmosphere and culture to be a part of
and I am proud to be a part of that team.
The question of strengths routinely comes up
at every interview.
Let me answer that one before your virtual visit
by simply stating that our residents
are the biggest strength of our program.
Yes, we have many others that I will be happy to share
with you on your interview day,
but the one I would like to focus on today is our residents.
We have been very fortunate over the years to attract
and match a wonderful compliment of residents.
Year after year, match after match,
interview season after interview season,
we have been fortunate to match the people
that fit best with our program, with our mission,
with our values.
Because of that, each of them thrive in our program
and we all end up meeting our common
and shared goal of making each the best physician
that they can be at the time they graduate from our program.
Our program is sponsored by the world-renowned Mayo Clinic,
and in fact, was the first family medicine residency program
that Mayo sponsored way back in 1976.
That support by the graduate school
of medical education combined with the clinical experience
in a community-based hospital
where family medicine is valued
is a unique advantage that we do not take for granted
nor responsibility we take lightly.
We love having that support
and direction regionally that Mayo offers
while being able to get our clinical education
in our own community-based facility.
Over the period of time from 1976 to the present,
we have only had four program directors,
with our most recent program director, Dr. Tom Grau,
having spent nearly 30 years in his role at our facility.
Additionally, we have had a number of our faculty retire
after working in the residency
from anywhere between 25 to 30 years.
Currently, we have approximately 40 of our graduates working
for Mayo Clinic within Mayo Clinic health system.
Why do I share all that with you?
Because they are all real life examples
of why this place is so special.
Each of them works or has worked here
or stayed in the health system
because of how they were treated,
because they felt the organization
and administration supported
and believed in family medicine,
because they developed a comfort
with the specialty colleagues they worked
with here each and every day.
These are just a few of the many reasons that many
of our graduates choose to practice
within the Mayo Clinic health system after graduation.
How about our faculty, you may ask?
We have a diverse faculty that is well-read,
well-rounded, and really fun to work with.
The majority of us, including myself,
continue to practice traditional full-scope family medicine,
including obstetrics and inpatient medicine.
We have a wonderful behavioral science curriculum,
as well as running an integrated behavioral health clinic
within our continuity clinic.
Both led by our psychologist faculty colleague,
Dr. Carol Goulet.
Doctors Collin, Mourka, Malone, and Schlecht
all have varied interests
and all provide excellent teaching as well
as excellent patient care amongst their roles in the clinic,
hospital, and labor and delivery deck.
On your interview day with us,
I ask each of you to ask them their specific interests
and their various roles in our program.
Dr. Marc McElhaney is one of our newest faculty.
He is sports medicine fellowship trained,
as well as having completed a fellowship in education.
So we have been able to improve
our musculoskeletal didactics as well as plans to teach more
in the setting of ultrasound-guided injections.
We also have recently added a sports medicine track
for those that are interested
and those who may be considering
a sports medicine fellowship.
Additionally, another faculty member joining our program,
Dr. Steve Stacey, an osteopathic physician,
has helped us submit our proposal to the ACGME
for our osteopathic recognition track.
We will be up and running
with the osteopathic concepts and principles soon
and we'll officially hear about our proposal
after a September 2020 meeting of the ACGME.
We look forward to that addition, and it is just one example
of many in which we continue to make our program better.
What else do we have?
Numerous patients of our 44-year old residency clinic,
a regional hospital, and innumerable opportunities
to obtain procedural skills.
All of our most recent graduates left our program
with about 2,000 outpatient visits,
unparalleled inpatient experience,
including caring for patients in the intensive care unit,
and plenty of procedures.
Too good to be true, you ask?
Virtually visit us on your interview day
and see for yourself what our program can offer you.
Particularly in family medicine residency training,
the fit is what I believe
to be the most important match characteristic.
Please come and see if your interest
and your vision in the family physician you want
to become matches with ours.
We invite you to get the virtual feel for our program
and feel that fit from your perspective.
Thanks so much for your time
in reviewing our online information.
We sincerely hope
that it solidifies your interest in our program.
I, and all of my colleagues here in La Crosse,
look forward to meeting with you on your interview day
and providing you with additional exposure to our people,
as well as answering additional questions
you may have about our program.
Thanks again, and I sincerely hope you find the program
that fits you best.
We hope that it's here in beautiful La Crosse, Wisconsin.