Still OPTI/NRMC Family Medicine Residency Program

Program didactics

The resident participates in the Family Practice Journal Club, board review, and case presentations. There are additional lectures held twice daily, and residents also participate in teaching/mentoring medical students.

Our program highly values your educational learning opportunities and provides the following:

• 4-hour dedicated FM didactics on Thursday afternoons
• 7 a.m. and 12 p.m. hour-long family medicine lectures Mondays and Thursdays

Didactic topics include:

• American Family Physician Journal Club
• AAFP Board Review Lectures
• Osteopathic Journal Club
• Board Review Questions

Hospital didactics

7 a.m. and 12 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

• ATSU-KCOM Drabing Human Patient Simulation Lab
• ATSU-KCOM Ultrasound Labs
• ATSU-COM Research/Statistics Series
• Attending Lectures
• Guest Speakers
• House Staff Meetings
• Intern Lectures
• OMM Labs
• Oncology Conference
• Orthopedics Conference
• Pediatrics Conference
• Radiology Conference
• STILL OPTI Resident Forum

In-region rotations

Residents in the family medicine program will have access to a variety of in-region rotation opportunities that enhance their clinical skills and community engagement, including:

• Anesthesiology
• Cardiology
• CCU
• Dermatology
• ENT
• ER
• General surgery
• Inpatient family medicine
• Internal medicine
• Newborn nursery
• OB/GYN
• OMM
• Orthopedic surgery
• Pediatrics
• Podiatry
• Urogynecology

Out-of-region rotations

Currently the only out-of-region rotation available is inpatient pediatrics at the University of Missouri held at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Columbia, MO, offering residents a unique opportunity to gain specialized experience in pediatric care.

Sample resident schedule

Intern (PGY-1) call

During their first year, interns in the family medicine residency will be responsible for a range of essential duties, including:

• In-hospital overnight shifts and on occasion weekend day shifts
• Varies based on size of intern class
• Typically assigned 4–6 shifts per month
• Intern on-call is always supervised by a senior resident in-house and an attending is always on-call by phone
• Interns field pages from hospital nursing staff and handles overnight hospital admissions

Senior resident (PGY-2/PGY-3) call

As senior residents in the family medicine program, participants will take on increased responsibilities and play a vital role in patient care, with duties including:

• Varies based on number of senior residents
• Typically assigned 4–6 shifts per month
• In-house senior call
• Field calls from attendings’ and residents’ patients, including from nursing homes
• In-house senior supervises and assists intern on call in hospital overnight

Clinical locations

Participants in the program will gain hands-on experience during their rotations at the following locations:

Continuity Clinic

• Kirksville Family Medicine
• The Resident Room

Inpatient Family Medicine Education Service

We have a considerable presence in the hospital. Our service always has 2-3 residents working with a rounding attending to care for 4-12 patients. We currently do 3 inpatient FM rotations a year.

Nursing Homes

Two days a month we see patients in the local nursing homes (Kirksville Manor Care, La Plata Nursing Home, Knox County Nursing Home, and Pines Nursing Home). Each resident cares for their assigned 8-14 nursing home residents.

Juvenile Detention Center

Every Wednesday morning one resident sees patients at the local Juvenile Detention Center

Program resources

The program provides a variety of resources to support the development and success of our residency participants:

• Human Patient Simulation (HPS) Lab
• Ultrasound Lab
• OMM Lab
• Procedure Labs
• ATSU Library
  • Includes print and digital resources including Up to Date and DynaMed Plus
• ATSU Statisticians
  • Residents can use ATSU’s staff to assist with processing and organizing research data for their scholarly activity.
• ATSU Print Shop
  • Residents can utilize ATSU’s in-house print shop to print professional looking posters to present during their residency
• Thompson Campus Center
  • Residents have access to ATSU’s workout facility that has exercise equipment, gymnasium, and more

Program benefits

* Education budget can be used for textbooks, journals, questions banks, and CMEs.

Core site for ATSU-KCOM 3rd and 4th year students

Being a core rotation site for ATSU-KCOM 3rd and 4th year medical students we have many opportunities to work with and educate them while on our service and when they participate in hospital call shifts.

Interview days

• In the past year we had a multitude of applications and interviewed 50 applicants by phone or in person.
• We start audition rotations in August and are open to having auditions into January.
• We do not require audition rotations but the time they provide for us to get to know an applicant can be invaluable to us when we decide our rank list.
• We generally start interview season in October and close interviews in January.
• We typically interview on Friday mornings with an informal interview dinner the Thursday night before with residents.

Program faculty

Jill Kerr, DO ’86
Program Director

Jill Kerr, DO, is the new program director for the Still OPTI/NRMC Family Medicine Residency Program.

Dr. Kerr received her undergraduate degree at Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University), in Kirksville, Missouri, and her doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from A.T. Still University-Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed her residency at Mineral Area Osteopathic Hospital, Farmington, Missouri (1986-87), and she is board certified by the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians.

Dr. Kerr has more than 30 years of experience in family, occupational, emergency, and urgent care medicine. She has served as a medical education instructor and clinical preceptor for ATSU-KCOM since 2010, Midwestern University (2010-present), and University of Phoenix Nurse Practitioners Program (2000-07).

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Robert Sparks, DO

UNDERGRADUATE:
University of South Dakota

MEDICAL SCHOOL:
Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine

CERTIFICATIONS & LICENSURE:
Board Certified Family Medicine ACOFP and ABFM Obstetrics

SPECIALIZATIONS:
Endoscopy and Emergency Medicine

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Katherine Holbrook, DO

Katherine Holbrook, DO, is an osteopathic physician from eastern Kentucky. She completed her undergraduate degree from Centre College before completing medical school at the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Holbrook moved to Kirksville in 2020 to complete her family medicine residency education with A.T. Still University (ATSU) Kirksville Family Medicine.

Dr. Holbrook has always had a strong interest in rural medicine and is especially passionate about osteopathic manipulative medicine. Her practice spans the family medicine areas including children, adults, women's health, geriatrics, and clinic procedures. Dr. Holbrook is also an A.T. Still University-Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU-KCOM) associate professor. Her interests outside of medicine include her enjoyment of cooking, baking, and a strong glass of tea.

Citing the reasons she chose to continue her work with ATSU Kirksville Family Medicine, Dr. Holbrook stated, “I am passionate about providing holistic, quality care in rural areas. I am here to work with my patients for better health and a brighter future. I love working with our resident doctors and ATSU medical students to help educate them, fostering a sense of community and responsibility.”

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Dr. George Pipes, DO, '76

George, DO, ’76, is a family medicine physician who retired from private practice after more than 30 years, and he now serves as a clinician for A.T. Still University-Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (ATSU-KCOM) residency management team. In his current role as a clinician supervisor, he oversees resident physicians who are continuing their education and providing healthcare for patients at A.T. Still University’s (ATSU) Kirksville Family Medicine resident clinic.

Dr. Pipes graduated from ATSU-KCOM in 1976. His postgraduate education included an internship at Kirksville Osteopathic Medical Center in Kirksville and a fellowship at Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri. He also completed a U.S. Army Flight Surgeon Course with Academy Health Sciences in Fort Rucker, Alabama, as well as a scientific program and Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Medical Examiner Seminar with the Aerospace Medical Association in New Orleans.

During his years of practice, Dr. Pipes served as part of a medical health team in La Paz, Bolivia, a lieutenant colonel and state flight surgeon with the Missouri Army National Guard, and director of medical education and vice chair of the Board of Governors for the Kirksville Osteopathic Medical Center. The American Association of Physician Specialists named him a Distinguished Fellow in 1991 and Family Practitioner of the Year in 1995.

Dr. Pipes has served the Kirksville, Missouri, community and helped advance the osteopathic profession for his entire professional career. He is married to Elaine Pipes, who works at the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine on ATSU’s Kirksville, Missouri, campus, and he is the proud father of two and grandfather of three.

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Kirksville Family Medicine Clinic

Kirksville Family Medicine can be found on the first floor of Gutensohn Clinic and serves as the home for Cardiology, Neurology, Neuropsychiatry, OMM, Surgery and Orthopedics. The clinic is named after Max Gutensohn, who taught and practiced medicine in Kirksville for 50 years. The clinic is situated across from Northeast Regional Medical Center. In the Family Medicine department many procedures are done in the confines of the clinic. The faculty at Gutensohn is readily available to help with procedures and give insight into patient diagnosis and treatment. The clinic is also attached to the ATSU medical school. Usually, medical students will rotate with the residents, giving them a chance to be educators as well as learners. At the Kirksville Family Medicine Center, there is ongoing development of the Ultrasound Curriculum as well as Telemedicine, and the soon to be launched Suboxone Clinic for opioid dependency. Interaction with patients, faculty, and staff is encouraged across all levels of education and experience to help provide an optimal learning environment. Find more information about Gutensohn Clinic here.

• Kirksville Family Medicine Clinic EMR: Greenway Intergy
• Located on the 1st floor of the ATSU Gutensohn Clinic
• Each 1st year resident has 3 half days of clinic per week
• Each senior resident has 4 half days of clinic per week
• Clinic Visit Times:
• ~1st half of intern year: 1 hr appts for all visits
• ~2nd half of intern year: 1 hr appointments for new patients and procedures, 30 min appts for established patients
• 2nd & 3rd year: 40 min appointments for new patients and procedures, 20 min appts for established patients

Northeast Regional Hospital

Northeast Regional is a 93 bed facility with a Level 3 Trauma Center. Also located in the facility is the Northeast Regional Chest Pain Center. The hospital is a hub for healthcare across Northeast Missouri with services including Obstetrics, Surgery, Intensive Medical Care, Emergency Care and General Medicine Care. Residents and medical students rotate through Northeast Regional and The University of Missouri Medical Center. The hospital is also physically attached to the ATSU medical school and Gutensohn Clinic. Find more information about Northeast Regional Hospital here.

• Northeast Regional Medical Center Hospital EMR: Medhost
• A Community Health Systems (CHS) Hospital
• 93 Bed Hospital
• 11 Bay Emergency Department
• 10 Bed Critical Care Unit
• Level 3 Trauma Center
• Certified Chest Pain Center

Simulation Lab

The HPS lab is owned by the ATSU medical school. Resident have access to the lab, which serves as a platform for learning the treatment of critically ill patients. The lab has both adult and pediatric manikins, as well as a maternal manikin that can simulate birth. Family Medicine resident in this setting are both learners and educators.

Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Lab (OMM)

Within the Gutensohn Clinic, OMM is situated on the 4th floor where residents and students can rotate through the program on a scheduled basis. Blumenthal lab on the second floor of the Tinning Education Center is attached to Gutensohn and has 105 electric tables inside of a large teaching center. Quarterly update seminars on OMM are presented in this lab and sent out live online.

Ultrasound Lab

ATSU also has a large Ultrasound Teaching Lab where residents and medical students can go to update their clinical diagnostic skills. The Kirksville Family Medicine Program is actively involved in updating an ongoing ultrasound curriculum. We are also in the process of linking telemedicine to that service.

About Still OPTI

Still OPTI is a consortium of teaching hospitals, colleges, universities, and physicians working together to provide osteopathic graduate medical education. Still OPTI is recognized as an Institutional Sponsor by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Still OPTI collaborates with other OPTIs and Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine to develop evaluation tools, curricula, and other key components necessary for quality medical education of residents to produce high-quality physicians who demonstrate compassion, integrity, and ability.

Still OPTI collaborates with partners to develop and deliver robust graduate medical education resources that are uniquely osteopathic, advance residents’ OPP and OMT competency, and promote professional development for residents and teaching physicians.