The Nuvance Health New Milford Hospital Rural Family Medicine Residency Program is a three-year training program based at New Milford Hospital, a Nuvance Health facility in New Milford, CT. Residents rotate every four weeks through a variety of specialties while also maintaining their longitudinal curriculum in the family medicine practice (FMP) outpatient clinic.

As a family medicine resident in a rural training programs, you will complete your training in a variety of different Nuvance Health hospitals and clinics. Inpatient medicine rotations will occur at New Milford Hospital, Sharon Hospital, and Danbury Hospital. This variety of inpatient experience will provide the residents with the opportunity to provide inpatient care in a wide variety of setting, with various faculty, disease mixes, and patient care team compositions. Residents will also rotate at Danbury Hospital for a variety of other rotations, as well as Norwalk Hospital, Putnam Hospital, and Vassar Brothers Medical Center.

The FMP is located within the New Milford Hospital, allowing for full integration into the hospital and ease of access for residents and patients. During their FMP experiences, residents will be supervised by core and teaching faculty board certified in Family Medicine and Internal Medicine/Pediatrics. The goal of these experiences will be to build each residents patient panel to allow them to serve as the primary care provider to a variety of patient types.

The New Milford Primary Care Office (Family Medicine FMP) is located at New Milford Hospital. It has 15 exam rooms, a waiting room, precepting room, faculty/resident work areas and a conference room down the hall. It is also one floor below the FM Resident GME space.

Preceptors in the FMP will include FM boarded physicians as well as IM/Peds faculty. Residents will see various patient disease mixes, age ranges, socioeconomic statuses and diversity of patients.

Residents during the PGY1 year will complete one half-day sessions per week in the FMP, three half-day sessions in the PGY2 year, and five half-day sessions during the PGY3 year.  Residents will be paired into teams for the length of their training program with residents from varying levels, to help ensure and enhance continuity of care for patients and providers.

The program has worked diligently to recruit a diverse, experienced faculty group that will provide an outstanding and innovative learning experience. The Family Medicine Faculty are listed below. In addition to this, there are numerous faculty from other specialties that will be supporting the program for a variety of clinical rotations.

Program Director – Dr. Robert Carr

Core Faculty – Dr. Peter Anderson & Kristin Newton

Family Medicine Faculty

• Dr. Kathleen Mueller – Integrative Medicine & Wellness
• Dr. Ghulam Khan – Geriatrics
• Dr. Sherry Reyes – FMP Faculty
• Dr. David McIntosh – FMP Med/Peds

Orientation

As a new resident, you will participate in the onboarding orientation, in which you will be oriented to the Nuvance Health system, New Milford hospital, the FMP and the program as a whole. This orientation will provide you with the knowledge, skills and tools to be prepared on your first day of clinical practice and the weeks to follow.

Transition to Practice

During the first month of training, all PGY1 residents will spend Block 1 on the Transition to Practice rotation. This month will be primarily spent in the FMP doing a variety of educational and patient care activities. During this block, the new residents will begin to shadow the different individuals within the FMP (nursing, social work, faculty, front office staff, etc.), conduct some patient care appointments under the direct supervision of precepting faculty, as well as have dedicated time for education and studying.

ABFM In-Training Exam
Residents’ medical knowledge and clinical reasoning will be benchmarked for measuring longitudinal growth through the results of the annual American Board of Family Medicine In-Training Examination. All family medicine residents will complete the exam in October of each year. Results will be reviewed with the Program Director to inform discussions and individualization of curriculum and clinical training (e.g., reading material, board prep and electives).

Research

Each resident in the Nuvance Health Family Medicine Residency Program is paired with a faculty mentor who will encourage and support you through the research process. Mentors are tasked with assisting residents in background research, feasibility, Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, study design, implementation and analysis, and quality improvement projects. Residents will have a variety of opportunities for research within the program. Nuvance Health has a large electronic library through which multiple resources are available for residents, as well as librarians and research support staff. Resident will also be expected to complete quality improvement projects with information from their patient panel. Resident will be provided with patient panel information on at least a quarterly basis so that they may identify areas that need improvement and develop a quality improvement project in which they can work to analyze, improve and change practice habits or patient care practices.  Live registry data will be available to the residents through the Health-e-Intent module of the EMR.

The program utilizes an academic half-day format for didactics. Residents will attend a weekly academic half day through which the didactic series will be provided. This includes faculty-led lectures, resident-led lectures, and a combination of both. During these academic half-day sessions, the following types of series will occur:

Monthly – Journal Club, M&M, Simulation, QI/Pt Safety

Weekly – FM Specific Topic

Weekly – Case Presentations

The program will also host a monthly Grand Rounds Conference that includes faculty and visiting guest lecturers on interesting topics related to family medicine.

Lastly, on a daily basis, an interesting case discussion will be held for all residents in the FMP during that day. This will be a 30-minute discussion on interesting cases or situations that occurred throughout the day and key learning points. This will be led by faculty with input from residents.

The Nuvance Health Consortium Rural Track Family Medicine Residency Program at New Milford Hospital is currently awaiting initial accreditation from the ACGME, which is expected to be given at the end of January 2025.

November 2024 – January 2025

Until January 31, 2024, the Nuvance Health Consortium Rural Track Family Medicine Residency Program at New Milford Hospital will be accepting applications via email to: NewMilfordFMresidency@nuvancehealth.org.

Including in submissions of your application, you must include the following items:

Requirements: The following items are required for consideration of interview. All items must be received through ERAS application portal:

• Personal Statement
• Current CV
• 3 Letters of Recommendation
• USMLE/COMLEX Scores
• MSPE (Dean’s) Letter
• J1 visa holders welcome

Following January 31, 2025 the program will be accepting all applications through ERAS. The program will be participating in NRMP Match Process during the 2025 Match Cycle.

February 2025 – March 2025

The Nuvance Health Consortium Rural Track Family Medicine Residency Program at New Milford Hospital thanks you for your interest in applying to our program. We accept all applications through the ERAS  and participate annually in the NRMP Match Program. Interviews will be virtual via Thalamus for the current recruitment season.

Requirements: The following items are required for consideration of interview. All items must be received through ERAS application portal:

• Personal Statement
• Current CV
• 3 Letters of Recommendation
• No more than 2 attempts on each USMLE
• MSPE (Dean’s) Letter
• J1 visa holders welcome

Applications are due through ERAS on November 30.

We accept eight (4) residents each year, for a total of 12 family medicine residents. We want our community to be tight-knit, and each resident to feel they are an important part of the program while receiving an excellent educational experience.

Is this program accredited?

The program has submitted an application for accreditation to the ACGME and is expected to received initial accreditation by the end of January 2025. The program is extremely optimistic that it will receive accreditation and start its first class in July 2025.

Are you participating in ERAS and the NRMP?

Until the program receives accreditation at the end of January, the program will not have access to ERAS and will be receiving applications via email to NewMilfordFMresidency@nuvancehealth.org. After the program received accreditation, all applications will be required to be submitted for review in ERAS.

The program will be participating in the NRMP Match Cycle in March 2025. The program will be listed in NRMP following its accreditation notice in the end of January.

Why should I apply for a new residency program?

Applying for a new residency program that emphasizes entrepreneurship and rural healthcare can be an exciting and fulfilling opportunity. Here’s why you might consider applying:

• Opportunity to Shape the Future: This program is looking for candidates who are eager to help shape and define its trajectory. As a resident, you won’t just be learning from others—you’ll have the chance to leave your mark, influence how the program evolves, and contribute to its legacy. This could be especially rewarding if you’re passionate about creating lasting change in the healthcare field.
• Entrepreneurial Spirit: If you’re someone who thinks creatively, seeks out opportunities to innovate, and is eager to bring new ideas to the table, this program seems like a perfect fit. You’ll likely have more freedom and autonomy to explore projects, research, and initiatives that could help improve care delivery, not only within the program but also within the community you serve.
• Hands-On, Diverse Training in Rural Communities: Practicing in rural settings often provides a broad range of patient care experiences, as you’ll encounter a wide variety of cases that require adaptability, resourcefulness, and problem-solving. If you want to become a well-rounded physician capable of handling complex situations in resource-constrained environments, rural training is invaluable.
• Making a Direct Impact on the Community: The communities you serve will greatly benefit from the care you provide. If you’re passionate about making a meaningful difference and addressing healthcare needs in underserved areas, this residency program offers a unique platform to do so.
• Personal and Professional Growth: A residency in a setting that values entrepreneurial candidates offers the chance for personal and professional growth. You’ll develop leadership skills, gain experience in driving change, and contribute to a program that may set the stage for future opportunities, whether in academia, leadership positions, or even starting your own healthcare initiatives.
• A Strong Foundation for Future Careers: The breadth of experience you’ll gain in both entrepreneurial ventures and rural healthcare will give you a unique skill set that is highly sought after. Whether you want to stay in rural healthcare or expand to other areas, you’ll be well-prepared to take on a variety of roles in the medical field.

If these values align with your career goals and personal interests, applying to this residency program could be a transformative step in your medical journey.

How much vacation do I receive?

Residents receive 4 weeks of vacation per year, as well as three personal days. Residents may take off one week at a time, and vacation requests are due at the start of each academic year.

Why should I come to New Milford, CT?

Nestled in the lush, rolling hills of Litchfield County, New Milford at first glance represents quintessential New England. But there’s much more to this western Connecticut town that lies on the banks of the Housatonic River — it’s an intriguing blend of then and now.

New Milford is an authentic blend of nature, local farms, and country living. Explore the beauty of our local parks and Lover’s Leap State Park and its iconic bridge.

Enjoy the shops and restaurants in our historic New England village or take a stroll on the picturesque town green, one of the longest in the state.

Go kayaking or rowing on the Housatonic River or boating and swimming in Candlewood Lake, the largest in Connecticut. Stay at our quaint inns, B&Bs and hotels.

Below are several resources that will help you start planning your visit to New Milford and Litchfield County: https://www.newmilfordnow.org/