UTMB Family Medicine Residency Program
Integrated Rural Training Track – Weimar
The mission of The University of Texas Medical Branch Department of Family Medicine— Weimar Integrated Rural Training Track is to provide excellent healthcare to citizens of the
rural area. But residents who train in the program will get something extra—an opportunity to serve a diverse, welcoming community; one-on-one training with seasoned family physicians and specialists; and hands-on experience in the business of running a medical practice.
Youens & Duchicela Clinic is the ambulatory training site for the program. It is a privately-owned clinic located in Weimar (population 2151), which is 145 miles from Galveston (on I-10 west of Houston). Three family physicians anchor the faculty: Jorge Duchicela, M.D.; Robert A. Youens, M.D.; and Olga Duchicela, M.D. Together, they have 10,000 patients and conduct 23,000 outpatient visits each year. Other faculty include an OB/Gyn, a general surgeon, a cardiologist, an orthopedic surgeon, an allergist, pediatrician, podiatrist, ENT, urologist, and nephrologist.
The Resident Experience
Residents learn everything from minor dermatological in-office procedures to endoscopies (300 each year). They benefit from a philosophy of minimizing clerical work. Record-keeping is fully automated using e-MDs and a phalanx of medical assistants.
Colorado-Fayette Medical Center hospital, a 38-bed private non-profit 501(c)(3) facility, adjoins the clinic and provides experience in rounds and in emergency care. Experience in geriatrics is gained through visits to Parkview Manor Nursing Home and other local nursing homes.
Training in this busy practice is intense. Residents will see many patients in a day, but this will be part of a balanced approach which allows time off to enjoy the community, pursue hobbies or outdoor activities, or even to appreciate the triangle of Austin, Houston, San Antonio in which Weimar is centered. Each city is about an hour and a half away by car. Even closer are Festival Hill at Round Top and the Shakespeare Festival at Winedale (45 minutes each). The Colorado River runs within six miles of Weimar, and the Gulf of Mexico is only an hour and a half away.
The Community
Rural Training Track residents live in the community of Weimar where they make an important contribution as physicians while also serving the community by working
with schools, local service organizations and sports teams. Our physicians have established relationships with community-service organizations such as SWIFT, have initiated school programs such as Healthy High, and serve on the board of the Colorado-Fayette Medical Center. One of our physicians is a past president of the TAFP, one serves as the county health officer, one is a team physician for the local high school football team, and one coaches a women’s soccer team.
The Schedule
Residents spend their first year in Galveston training with the larger group of family medicine residents. In the second year, they move to Weimar, remaining there for the final two years. They maintain a connection with the campus-based resident cohort via web-based conferencing of weekly Thursday afternoon didactic activities and periodic returns to campus for in-person participation.
The Curriculum
The curriculum in Weimar is the culmination of over a decade of resident teaching by our board-certified family physicians. It is unique to our resources (the specialists who are on the faculty) and our needs as a rural training site. It allows the intensity and flexibility that residents require in order to enhance their preparation as family physicians and adheres to all recommendations of our accreditation body, the ACGME.
Application/Selection
Residents interested in the Integrated Rural Training Track are selectively matched for the track. Applicants interested in the IRTT should indicate so during their initial interview process with the Family Medicine Department in Galveston. Final acceptance and enrollment is contingent upon a successful interview process with IRTT faculty. Enrollment is limited to two residents each year.
Local Culture
As residents train in sub-specialties in the nearby communities of La Grange and Columbus, they learn more about the area, its richness in Texas history and its pride in the cultures represented here. Descendants of the Czech and German people who founded this and surrounding communities are still strongly represented. Not only does one hear echoes of accents from long-ago European ancestors, but one may savor the excellent foods that have been made here since the founding of Weimar in 1873. A vibrant black community thrives here, too, and a large Hispanic population provides more diversity—and more great cuisine.
Some Advantages Of Training In The Weimar IRTT:
- One-on-one training with seasoned family physicians.
- Robust, busy clinical experience learning everything from minor dermatological procedures to endoscopes.
- Training in the business aspects of having your own practice.
- Efficient, fully automated record keeping.
- Working and living in a 20-mile-radius rural area—no traffic jams and no long lines.
- Becoming a valued member of a richly diverse, welcoming community.
- Ample opportunities for community service.
- Simplicity and tranquility of small town life.
For information about rules and regulations, benefits, salary, etc., please refer to the Graduate Medical Education Institutional Handbook.
For more information about the Weimar Integrated Rural Training Track, please contact:
Jean Howze
Program Coordinator
Integrated Rural Training Track – Weimar
UTMB Family Medicine Residency Program
jehowze@utmb.edu
979-725-8545, ext. 229