In 2009, we received accreditation from the American Osteopathic Association. We are excited about the opportunity to provide comprehensive osteopathic education as part of our program. Our residency celebrates the diversity and the opportunity to learn from each other by integrating allopathic and osteopathic medicine into our curriculum. We strongly encourage osteopathic medical students to consider our program.

Strategic Imperative III: Integrating allopathic and osteopathic medicine

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There has been significant growth in Osteopathic physician presence in Minnesota. Our residency celebrates the diversity and the opportunity to learn from each other. Osteopathic medicine’s focus on treating the whole person and bringing care to areas of greatest need are natural fits with family medicine. We will provide a comprehensive education that incorporates the skills needed by osteopaths and allopaths alike.

DO Faculty
Our Osteopathic Program Director and Director of Student Medical Education is Jennifer Holmes, DO. She graduated from St. Cloud Hospital’s Family Medicine Residency Program in 2008. Bruce Kuhlmann, DO volunteer precepts our OMT clinics. Dr. Kuhlmann comes to us having 18 years of osteopathic and family medicine experience. Each brings their own interest and excitement to making the program a rewarding learning experience.

Goals:

• Provide Osteopathic residents and students with opportunities to learn new osteopathic techniques and to improve on previously learned OMT skills.
• Identify a systematic approach to determine competence in specific OMT skills for osteopathic residents.
  
  

Objectives: Obtain an appropriate osteopathic history. Master the skills needed for a focused osteopathic physical exam. Synthesize information from the history and exam into differential diagnoses using an organized and analytical thinking approach. Formulate an evaluation and management plan in an evidence-based, cost-effective, and patient-centered manner. Competently perform common osteopathic manipulation procedures. Competently bill and code common osteopathic procedures.

Teaching Methods:

• Core didactic lecture schedule that reviews anatomy, physiology, and technical skills of the commonly used osteopathic techniques while also highlighting some of the less common but effective techniques.
• Practical, hands-on workshops to develop competence in the OMT skills.
• Supervised experience in OMT skills on clinic patients.
• Hospital-based teaching by developing an OMT consult service for CentraCareFamily Health Center inpatients.
• Senior DO residents prepare a lecture for the entire residency about osteopathic principles or techniques. They will give one in the OGME-2 and OGME-3 years.

Evaluation:

• Supervising faculty will complete a summary evaluation to document when residents are competent to effectively and safely perform specific OMT procedures.

Responsibilities:

• Regular attendance at the OMT core lecture series (see below).
• Attend six (6) supervised OMT clinics annually for interns, 6-12 OMT clinics for PGY-2 residents and 12-20 OMT clinics for PGY-3 residents.
• Senior DO residents prepare a lecture for the entire residency about osteopathic principles or techniques. They will give one in the OGME-2 and OGME-3 years.

Didactic and Practical Experience:

• The 9-part core lecture series will be completed over an 18 month period of time (on average one lecture every other month). It will then be repeated. The lectures will be designed around body region or patient popluation.
• Each session will start with a quick review of anatomy, physiology and common pathology of the area in question. It will also review the diagnosis of somatic dysfunction in the area. Review of treatment options will include any evidence based treatments and medication treatments if appropriate.
• The lecture will be followed by hands-on practical experience in the classroom setting. The focus will be on practicing diagnostic skills and manipulation techniques on classmates.
• Subsequently supervised practical experience with patients will be scheduled for each resident/student. The focus of these sessions will be to refine diagnostic and manipulation skills with eventual documentation of competence in specific procedures as well as learning to apply osteopathic principles and techniques to actual clinic patients.
• Residents and students will be assigned time with the DO faculty to consult on CentraCare Family Health Center inpatients for manipulation.
• Senior residents will give a lecture in their OGME-2 and OGME-3 year to all the residents and faculty about osteopathic principles and techniques. This will not only serve as an educational experience for the osteopathic residents, allopathic residents, and faculty, but it will also assist allopathic providers to make appropriate hospital and clinic referrals to the OMT service.

Lecture Topics:

Workshop I: Review of osteopathic principles, basic Osteopathic exam, and documentation and billing Workshop II: Viscerosomatic reflexes, visceral manipulation, and pelvis Workshop III: Sacrum and lumbar spine Workshop IV: Thoracic spine and ribs Workshop V: Cervical and head (including cranial) Workshop VI: Lower and upper extremities Workshop VII: Putting It All Together: Common Ambulatory & Hospital Problems Workshop VIII: OMT in Pediatric, Obstetric, and Elderly Problems Workshop IX: Comprehensive Review Residents will gain exposure and eventual competency in the following techniques: HVLA Muscle energy Soft tissue Myofascial techniques Still techniques Cranial Facilitated Positional Release Strain/Counterstrain Visceral/lymphatic techniques