Introduction

Carle Foundation Hospital and Family Medicine Residency have historically emphasized the hiring of a diverse physician panel including a dedication to Osteopathic Physicians.  This dedication was supported by the AOA in 2004 when the Family Medicine Residency was rewarded with a dual accreditation. Now in its third year, this program has already found great success.

Through its 75 year history, Carle Foundation Hospital has actively recruited Osteopathic Physicians because of their dedication to holistic medicine, skills in back manipulation, and versatility to practice in rural and branch clinics.  Because of increased expectations by patients and successes of current Osteopathic Physicians, Carle Foundation Hospital and Carle Clinics have recently increased emphasis towards hiring Osteopathic Physicians including Osteopathic Residents.

The community has always been the biggest reason, however, for the hospital’s dedication to Osteopathic Physicians.  As a university town, the public has always had an expectation of its physicians to have a holistic approach to healthcare.  The patients at rural clinics around Champaign and Urbana have also favored the all-around training of the Osteopathic Physicians.  With the increasing expectations of patients for more “hands on” medicine including back manipulation, the community’s expectations for more osteopathic physicians continues to grow.

This growth has increased the hospital’s support for hiring Osteopaths into our Family Medicine Residency Program.  The program offers once monthly manipulation clinics where the interns and residents are sent consults from other physicians within the clinic.  The didactics have also been successful with lectures about osteopathic treatments of various health conditions and lectures on somatovisceral reflexes and osteopathic coding.  Great lectures have also been given by Danny Lee, D.O., our first Osteopathic Resident, on Osteopathic approach to Low Back pain and Osteopathic approach to pneumonia.

So with this in mind, I appreciate your interest in this growing Osteopathic program within our well established Family Medicine Program. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have an interest in this program or additional questions.

Steven Rudawski, DO

Coordinator of Osteopathic Medical Education
Carle Dual Accredited Internship and Family Medicine Residency
steven.rudawski@carle.com