McLeod Family Medicine Residency
Program FAQ’s

• How does the program coordinate Orientation for interns?

  Orientation for incoming interns begins one week prior to July 1. During this week, incoming interns will complete their required computer training as well as meet with current residents, attendings and other important members of the hospital.

• Where are the outpatient clinics located?

  Residents in the Florence program will provide continuity care to their patients at the McLeod Family Medicine Center located on the campus of McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, SC. Rural residents will provide continuity care at either the Clarendon or Cheraw practice. Residents in Clarendon will provide care to their patients at McLeod Primary Care Clarendon in Manning, SC. Residents in Cheraw will provide care to their patients at McLeod Primary Care Cheraw in Cheraw, SC.

• Can you explain the population of patients served at McLeod?

  The patient population at all three sites of training are medically complex and underserved. Residents will see a generous mixture of populations. Most patients have chronic medical conditions. Residents are competent to provide inpatient and outpatient services to high acuity patients.

• Do we use an electronic medical record system?

  Yes. Florence and Rural residents use EPIC to manage electronic medical records for patients in both the continuity clinic and the inpatient setting.

• How are the rural residents integrated into the core program in Florence, SC?

  A portion of the Rural PGY1 year is spent on the Florence campus as it is inpatient centered and comprised of several core rotations. The integration into the rural communities, however, begins right away as outpatient clinic is incorporated into all rotations during all three years of residency. We are also incorporating some inpatient adult medicine on the rural campuses as well in their regional hospitals to fulfill the intern year requirements. This is the true beauty of being a rural program resident. Rural residents participate in patient care in the large medical center with access to specialists and technology that may not be available in the rural communities. Using this vast knowledge base, you can then provide exemplary patient care and readily perform procedures you learned in your training.

• Do I need to purchase my own lab coats?

  McLeod provides three lab coats per year for each resident. They also have the option of just one lab coat and outerwear of their choice, such as a jacket.

• What is Family Medicine Teaching Service?

  The Family Medicine Teaching Service (FMTS) is an inpatient service managed by our residency program at McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, SC. Residents are assigned to FMTS for a duration of four weeks. Continuity patients from the McLeod Family Medicine Center are admitted to the FMTS teams. FMTS residents will have limited time in the continuity clinic due to the rigorous experience offered during the rotation.

  Rural Residents will do one four-week block at McLeod Regional Medical Center in their PGYI year, but subsequent rotations on FMTS will be done at their rural site. Continuity patients from the McLeod Primary Case sites are admitted to the FMTS teams. FMTS residents will have limited time in the continuity clinic due to the rigorous experience offered during the rotation.

• Do you use a night float system, or do residents take call each night?

  For Florence residents, we use a night float system for our evening/night calls. Residents are assigned to a night float (NF) rotation for two weeks. Shifts begin on Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. and end each morning at 7:00 a.m. until the following Saturday morning. Each PGYI covers OB/Peds for two-week NF rotations. Each PGYII covers our adult inpatient service for two-week NF rotations. PGYIIIs do not have any NF rotations. All residents rotate call assignments to cover weekends.

  For rural residents in Cheraw, PGYI residents cover OB/Peds at McLeod Regional Medical Center for a two-week NF rotation. In PGYII year, they do FMTS NF starting on Sunday evenings until Saturday mornings at McLeod Health Cheraw. PGYIII residents also do FMTS NF starting on Sunday evenings until Saturday mornings at McLeod Health Cheraw.

  For rural residents in Clarendon, PGYI residents cover OB/Peds at McLeod Health Clarendon for a two-week NF rotation. For the PGYII residents, they also do two-week FMTS NF rotations at McLeod Health Clarendon.

• What does the Sports Medicine experience look like?

  Residents on sports medicine rotations will work with orthopedics in their clinic and in the hospital, as well as provide coverage for local sports teams. Residents also have the opportunity to work in the injury clinics and with McLeod Athletic Trainers. The program also hosts an annual High School Sports Physical day in the spring. Residents and Attendings will provide physicals to local high school students (an average of 800 students).

• How are didactics incorporated into the residency training?

  Florence residents do didactics Monday through Thursday 12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Rural residents do didactics on Friday afternoons. Faculty, residents, and guest speakers will be assigned to cover topics throughout the year. A significant portion of didactics is reserved for board review. Rural residents on Florence rotations can join the Florence didactic sessions.

• What will we learn during didactics?

  The conference curriculum is designed to provide broad-spectrum didactic training to all residents throughout each of their training years. Didactics will occur on a weekly basis and materials will cover a wide range of topics.

  Lectures will be given by core faculty, residents and invited guests from multiple disciplines. Topics will be selected according to the current training needs of the group, focus areas represented in Family Medicine Boards and resident interest.

  The conference series will include the following resident-led lectures on a regular basis: Morbidity & Mortality conference (teaching service team), pediatric lecture (each PGY1), women’s health lecture (each PGY2), article review (selected PGY2s), and practical application (each PGY3).

• How is Osteopathic Medicine integrated into Residency training?

  Osteopathic residents participate in monthly OMT clinics that include hands-on skills training and assessment with patients in the outpatient setting. OMT training is also integrated in didactic learning. The programs are currently pursuing Osteopathic Recognition (OR). OR is a status available to all ACGME-accredited programs to demonstrate that their program incorporates osteopathic principles and practice into the clinical learning environment.

  Both programs have accreditation for Osteopathic Recognition.

• Do Family Medicine residents teach medical students?

  Medical student teaching is an integral part of residency training. All residents will supervise medical students on our adult inpatient service and in continuity clinic. Residents may also have the opportunity to teach students on various rotations throughout their residency.

• How are the rural residents assigned to either the McLeod Health Cheraw or McLeod Health Clarendon campus?

  Applicants can submit a rank list to either the Florence, Cheraw, or Clarendon campus. The program will not assign residents based on preference. You are able to rank one, two, or all three sites.

  To ensure the programs rank you appropriately, they must receive your application in one or both of the programs via ERAS.

• How are the sites categorized for ranking?

  Florence: Family Medicine 203212C0

  Cheraw: Family Med/Rural Cheraw 2032120C1

  Clarendon: Family Med/Rural Clarendon 2032120C2

• Are residents able to moonlight?

  Residents who hold a SC permanent license and are in good standing with the program are eligible for moonlighting privileges with program approval. Current opportunities include providing urgent care services at McLeod Urgent Care in Florence and Darlington.

• When are residents expected to take Step/Level 3?

  All PGY1 residents must take USMLE Step 3 or COMLEX Level III by March 31 of their first year. The program will pay for the exam. If unsuccessful on the first attempt, the resident will be responsible for paying fees for a second exam. The resident must receive a passing score by the third attempt. The test must be passed by the end of the PGY2 year to be promoted to the PGY3 year. If the test is not passed by December 31 of the PGY2 year, academic suspension will ensue until the test is passed. If the test is not passed within six months of academic suspension, this will result in a CCC recommendation of dismissal to the Program Director.

• How are vacation days managed?

  Residents are allotted a total of 28 days (used for vacation, sick, holiday, etc.). Residents must request time off in advance (30-day advance for requests less than three days off and 60-day advance for requests more than three days off). Time off will be granted depending on rotation scheduled during time off request and if no more than three residents are already scheduled to be away. Any PTO days not used at the end of each PGY will be paid out to the resident.

• How do the programs support resident wellness?

  The program offers several resources to promote residents’ wellness. Here are a few things we do:

  Family Care Conference (FCC): This is weekly protected time for interns to come together for an informal meeting. Meeting discussions are kept confidential. The Florence FCC is led by Associate Program Director, Dr. Allan Macdonald, and Clinical Psychologist Dr. Brittany Rainwater. The Rural FCC is led by Clinical Psychologist Dr. April Campbell.

  Intern Night Out: Once a month, upper-level residents will cover call to allow all interns to enjoy a fun activity. Recently, interns have met at local breweries, restaurants, bowling, trivia, or they have opened their home for a potluck party. This time allows the interns to come together as a class to support team development.

  Intern Re-Orientation: Interns are excused from clinical/rotation duties for two days each year during the first week in February. Dr. Jebaily opens his home to allow interns and a few Faculty to come together to discuss a variety of topics.

  Annual Retreat: Upper-level residents cover all shifts from Friday at noon to Sunday at 6:00 p.m. to allow PGYI and PGYII residents to go on a weekend-long retreat. For the past several years, residents have traveled to Holden Beach, NC, to a 16-bedroom oceanfront beach house.

  Employee Assistance Program (EAP): McLeod Health offers EAP to all employees to meet formally with licensed professionals to discuss mental health issues.

  Access to Clinical Psychologist: We are extremely privileged to have Dr. Brittany Rainwater and Dr. April Campbell on Faculty. They have an open door policy and welcome anyone (staff, nurses, residents, and faculty) to meet with them. They are also an excellent resource for our patients.

• How does the program offer services within each community?*

  Mercy Medicine: The program staffs a free clinic in Florence, Mercy Medicine, at least once a month. Residents, along with medical students, take care of patients at no cost in this clinic.

  Annual High School Sports Physicals: Every year, typically in April, we provide free sports physicals to all high school students. On average, we see more than 800 students in one Saturday here in our clinic on the McLeod Regional Medical Center campus.

  College Sports Physicals: We work with our local university, Francis Marion University, to provide free sports physicals to all athletes throughout the year.

  Sports Events: Our local schools and amateur baseball team, Red Wolves, allows residents to provide coverage for every game during the season.

  *While these services are offered in the Florence community, Rural Residents are welcome to participate in the activities as well.

• Where will I live?

  Core Program:
  There are multiple opportunities to buy or rent in the Florence area.

  Florence offers several apartments/houses to lease or purchase. The average cost of a 1,500-sq-ft modern home is $150,000 (rent would average $1,000/month).

  Rural Program:
  Rural Residents are eligible for a housing stipend if they live within a 30-mile radius of their rural hospital (McLeod Health Cheraw or McLeod Health Clarendon). There are multiple opportunities to buy or rent in each of the rural communities.

  Cheraw:
  Cheraw offers some apartments and houses for rent. Also, Cheraw has several houses for sale in the area. The average cost of a 1,300-sq-ft home is $130,000 (average rent would be $700/month).

  Clarendon:
  The average median cost of homes in Clarendon County is $105,700. The average median cost to rent in Clarendon County is $688/month.

• What schools are in the area?

  Florence:
  Florence has a large school district offering several elementary, intermediate/middle and high schools. The district also offers the International Baccalaureate continuum starting with the Primary Years Program at North Vista Elementary, followed by the Middle Years Program at Williams Middle School and the Diploma Program at Wilson High School. There are also several private and religiously-affiliated schools in the area. Francis Marion University, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, and Florence-Darlington Technical College, offering certifications and associate degrees, are also based in Florence.

  Cheraw:
  Cheraw has one school district in the county, which is Chesterfield County School District. This district offers several schools:

  • Cheraw Primary School (4k through 2nd grade) which offers afterschool care
  • Cheraw Intermediate (3rd grade through 5th grade) which also offers afterschool care
  • Long Middle School (6th grade through 8th grade)
  • Cheraw High School (9th grade through 12th grade)

  All schools 4k through 12th grade are located very close together, which can be very beneficial if you have children at multiple schools.

  Clarendon:
  There are three public school systems in Clarendon. Clarendon 1, Clarendon 2 and Clarendon 3. Each district has an elementary school, middle school and high school. There are also two private schools in Clarendon County as well as several day cares.

• Do residents have access to food?

  Each resident receives $25 per day to spend in the hospital cafeterias at all three sites.

  Florence: Adequate meals are provided in the hospital cafeteria or Physician Lounge 24/7 in Florence. Snack/drink machines are always available.

  Cheraw: Adequate meals are provided in the hospital cafeteria for breakfast and lunch. Snack/drink machines are always available. The Resident Lounge is stocked with easy meals and snacks.

  Clarendon: Adequate meals are provided in the hospital cafeteria for breakfast and lunch. Snack/drink machines are always available. The Resident Lounge is stocked with easy meals and snacks.

• Do you accept foreign medical school graduates?

  Yes, we accept applicants graduating from international medical schools. Unfortunately, we are not able to sponsor J-1 or H-1B visas.

• What do graduates do after training?

  This program offers diverse career paths for graduates. Many choose to practice outpatient medicine while others choose to provide hospitalist services. Others have pursued fellowship training in sports medicine, obstetrics, and hospice/palliative care. Some have even stayed to join the residency program as faculty. We offer a comprehensive training experience to provide our graduates a broad spectrum of practice opportunities.

• What is an international rotation?

  The programs provide a structured educational experience outside the United States to residents who request this unique experience. Attendings at McLeod and members of our communities host missions trips a few times each year. You can also request to attend a trip should you personally know someone serving outside of the United States. This experience is offered during all three years of residency. Residents may not exceed four weeks of this rotation throughout the duration of their residency. Any time exceeding two weeks within the same year will be deducted from available PTO days.

  Residents are eligible to receive a one-time travel stipend from the McLeod Foundation Continuing Education Fund for an approved elective.

• How are residents evaluated?

  Residents are evaluated by program directors in conjunction with a clinical competency committee made up of three or more teaching faculty. We use a variety of sources of evaluation data to assess milestone progress, including end-of-rotation evaluations, staff and patient evaluations, peer-to-peer evaluations, performance on annual in-training examinations, end of the year evaluations, and monthly meetings with advisors.

• What does the Oral Health curriculum look like?

  McLeod has added a dental faculty member and an integrated oral health care office to the Family Medicine Residency Program in Florence, SC. The oral health care office will see patients of the family medicine residency and provide all types of dental treatment, including preventive, restorative, and rehabilitative. With this integrated facility, residents in both programs will have the opportunity to complete a rotation through the dental office, where they will learn how to complete an intra- and extraoral examination, assess plaque and calculus, administer local anesthesia and provide necessary emergency dental care. The dental faculty will be available to residents to assess patients in the hospital and nursing home settings as part of comprehensive patient care. Residents will also have integrated oral health lecture topics and small group discussions to enhance their family medicine education and training.