Program Overview
Thank you for your interest in the Thermopolis RTT. We are a 1-2 RTT program located in a truly rural/frontier environment set to immerse and train residents in a full spectrum family medicine experience. We aim to educate and train residents to become highly skilled family physicians who are be able to meet the needs and improve the health of the communities that they will serve.
The challenges of practicing medicine in rural communities are constantly changing and definitely different than larger environments. A quote from Dr. Mathey, WWAMI graduate, I think summarizes it well —”It is true that the scope of our practice is far more expansive than most family physician practices and most training programs in the country. Considering this we believe that the exposure of living in a rural community will help prepare the residents for some of these challenges including providing quality evidence based care, the importance of community involvement, leadership needs/expectations, and the importance of work/life balance. This coupled with the exposure to this more expansive scope of practice will help prepare residents for almost any type of practice they might encounter in the U.S.”
Our longitudinal curriculum coupled with the healthcare problems and needs of our communities provides a perfect environment for residents to learn how to live and practice successfully in a rural community. We have a diverse, strong, and supportive faculty who are passionate about teaching and taking care of patients and their communities.
Considering all of this takes place in the majestic wilds of Wyoming with countless recreational opportunities, we welcome your interest and encourage you to contact us if you have questions. You are unlikely to find another community where you can take advantage of blue ribbon trout fishing out the hospital’s back door while you are waiting for lab results!!!
”It is true that the scope of our practice is far more expansive than most family physician practices and most training programs in the country. Considering this we believe that the exposure of living in a rural community will help prepare the residents for some of these challenges including providing quality evidence based care, the importance of community involvement, leadership needs/expectations, and the importance of work/life balance. This coupled with the exposure to this more expansive scope of practice will help prepare residents for almost any type of practice they might encounter in the U.S.”
Hot Springs Health Critical Access Hospital
HSCMH is a Critical Access Hospital (CAH). The new 16 bed facility includes 2 delivery suites, 2 ORs and an endoscopy suite, and a 6 bed emergency room. Our hospital features highly modern medical equipment including a 1.5 Tesla MRI, 64 slice CT scanner, new ultrasound machine, digital mammography, and a new nuclear medicine machine. A large reason for our success is that the hospital board has always been very progressive and collaborates well with the medical community.
Currently, the EHR in use is Cerner. Outpatient services include chemotherapy, transfusions, wound care, pain management, cardiac stress tests and many outpatient surgeries. We have two Nurse Anesthetists who provide outstanding care including OB epidurals, airway management, conscious sedation, and difficult vascular access.
The clinics in Thermopolis, Shoshoni, and Worland are all Rural Health Clinics staffed by our providers who also serve nursing home residents in the same communities as well.
