First-Year Residents from UAMS Regional Campuses Gather

By Ben Boulden

“If we don’t have healthy, happy providers, you are not going to be a good provider for your patients,” said Jansen, medical director for UAMS Regional Campuses. “We have to have the quadruple aim. We have to rename our target to include those other three but also to achieve provider satisfaction.”

The first-year residents were gathered in Little Rock for the first meeting of all 44 of the first-year residents from the university’s Regional Campuses throughout the state.

Robin Howell gives residents a brief history of UAMS Regional Campuses.

Through the programs at these campuses, UAMS trains medical residents in family medicine while providing clinical care and health education services in communities around the state. As medical director and with the support of physician faculty, Jansen oversees the medical education of the residents and the clinical care they provide.

Jansen holds the Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, George K. Mitchell, M.D., Endowed Chair in Primary Care, and he used funds from the chair to support and organize the two-day meeting. UAMS has eight regional campuses in Batesville, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Helena, Jonesboro, Magnolia, Pine Bluff and Texarkana.

“The facilities we have in Regional Programs are real jewels in the UAMS system,” Jansen said.

UAMS in recent years has extensively remodeled or built new Family Medical Centers at campuses in Batesville, Fort Smith, Helena, Jonesboro and Texarkana.

Jansen urged the residents to seek counseling for stress or anxiety if they feel overburdened or simply need to talk about a problem.

“Our job is to help you learn all you can about medicine,” Jansen said. “That’s our commitment. We want to teach you about the art of medical care delivery. Your job is to keep your mind, eyes and ears open. Be respectful and not too critical of the people you’re working with. Maybe they’re stressed out, too.”

In addition to Jansen, other UAMS Regional Campuses faculty and staff made presentations about residency requirements, policies and procedures, loan repayment and career options, health literacy, research and scholarly activity.

“I’ve had the pleasure of long-term relationships with patients, so I get a lot of fulfillment working in primary care and family medicine,” Jansen said. “I’ve found that to be very rewarding.”