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 Marc Matthews, M.D.
Program: Family Medicine Residency, PGY- 3, Mayo Clinic Family Clinic Kasson
Hometown: Salisbury, MD.
Medical School: University of Maryland
What attracted you to medicine and family medicine?
"Many things appealed to me, but the clincher was the opportunity to care for patients throughout their lifetime and to develop relationships with patients and their families. Family medicine was also attractive because of the career flexibility that it allows -- rural health, academic centers, and the freedom to pursue your medical interests."
What attracted you to Mayo Clinic forresidency training?
"It's really a well-balanced program -- our Family Practice clinic is a rural clinic where the patients consider us (the residents) their doctors and where we learn the basics of primary care. But then you drive 20 minutes and you're at Mayo Clinic, where you can learn from some of the best doctors in the world. The resources that we have readily available to us, both personnel and physical, are just amazing."
What makes the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency unique?
"We do a pretty good job of finding the balance between the academic training that residents need to learn medicine and the outpatient training that will make you a successful family doc. When I was looking for residency programs, the big question was whether I went to a community program or an academic program. I know that a lot of med students struggle with the same questions, and some might be put off by a program that's associated with Mayo Clinic, because it’s known mainly for its specialty care. But really, I didn't have to decide between community or academic, because this program offered a great blend."
In our first year and half, we spend a lot of time in inpatient training. Because we have our own inpatient service, we get to see the bread and butter primary care pathology, and we learn how to manage it like a family doc, because our supervisors are family docs. But when there's a need for a specialty consultation, you get to interact almost one-on-one with some of the brightest specialists in the world. It really makes for a great foundation in the basic principles of medicine and evidence-based practice. As I advanced in the program, I spent more time in the community, working one-on-one with doctors in the small communities surrounding Rochester. For instance, our outpatient surgical rotation is with a general surgeon who does everything (C-sections, emergency cases, GYN surgery, big abdominal cases, upper and lower endoscopies) in a small town. Not only did I learn some great procedural skills, but I learned how those patientsin the community wanted to be taken care of. The same goes for our orthopedics, dermatology, and psychiatry rotations, which are in similar settings. So even though we are part of Mayo Clinic, we don't have to "compete" with the other residencies for procedures or patients. I think that this is why this program prepares us to be great family docs."
Anything surprise you about Mayo's program?
"I was pleasantly surprised by the camaraderie and collegial atmosphere. I thought that Mayo would be a stuffy, hierarchical organization, but it is definitely not. If I have a specialty question about a patient in the clinic, I can literally just pick up the phone and call up a specialist, who is more than happy to chat about the patient. The staff in our department do a great job of treating the residents as colleagues, and they really step back and let us shine."
What is living in Rochester like for you?
"Rochester has been a pleasant surprise. I'm from big cities on the East Coast, where anything and everything you could possibly want or need is right down the street. Rochester has just enough great restaurants and cultural activities without all the hassles of a big city. It’s also a very safe and affordable city. As I spend more time here, I've discovered more and more beautiful places and parks to spend time at. I think the longer you live here, the more you like it."
What does your future look like right now?
"I'm looking forward to putting all the procedural skills that I've learned to good use in a clinic where I can continue to teach med students and residents. I think that no matter where we end up, this residency has prepared us to be outstanding community physicians and leaders in our field."
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