1. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine
Rural Health at the Crossroads • June 2017
The Family Medicine Accelerated Track (FMAT)
Rodney Young, MD
Department of Family & Community Medicine
#ttuhscFMAT

2. Agenda & Objectives Objectives Why FMAT & Why is it needed?
FMAT curriculum & experiences
Student & resident performance
Post-Residency practice activities
What we’ve learned & what’s next
Objectives
Describe the Family Medicine Accelerated Track (FMAT) program, a 3-year accelerated medical school pathway that culminates in the MD degree and prepares students for family medicine residency training-
Describe FMAT medical school and residency training outcomes
Evaluate the impact of the FMAT program on the primary care physician workforce

3. FMAT Program at TTUHSC Key Details
Approved by LCME in Feb. 2010; 1st class selected & began training in June 2011, graduated June 2013, completed residency in June 2016
Class size: up to 16 students (out of 180-student class size); to date, beginning class sizes have been 8-15
Year-round training for 3 years
MS1 & MS2 years are unchanged
Longitudinal FM clerkship in MS2 year
M3 Year includes 5 8-week clerkships + capstone course
No MS4 year
Linked to Family Medicine residency programs in Lubbock, Amarillo and the Permian Basin
Sources of support: HRSA Pre-doctoral grant, Dean’s office scholarship funds, high-profile institutional priority

4. Why Family Medicine in FMAT?
-Widely recognized future shortage of primary care physicians with continued declining student interest
-Approximately 20-25% of internal medicine graduates choose primary care careers
-Approximately 40% of pediatric graduates choose primary care careers
-Of Family Medicine graduates more than 90% remain in primary care and almost 40% do so in communities <25,000 or low income areas

5. Program Goals & Rationale
To increase the number of students from TTUSOM choosing residencies in Family Medicine and ultimately building careers in primary care throughout Texas
To increase the percentage of US graduates in TTUHSC-affiliated FM residency programs
To take advantage of the implementation of an accelerated training model create an opening for educational innovation and new methodologies

6. FMAT Curriculum
Equivalent of 149 weeks of instructional time vs. 160 weeks in TTUHSC 4-year program

7. Student-Generated OSCEs
BLS Training
FMAT1 Experiences
Student-Generated OSCEs
Casting Workshop
EMR Training
Nutrition Workshop
Physical Exam Workshops

8. FMAT 2
Longitudinal Family Medicine Clerkship, Tuesday & Thursday mornings, Aug-May
FM outpatient clinic, FM hospital service, geriatrics, palliative care, small group/lecture
2-3 FMAT students assigned to 1 family medicine faculty physician for close mentoring

9. FMAT Classes Class of 2017 Class of 2015 Class of 2014 Class of 2016

10. FMAT by the Numbers As of June 2017
66 students have begun FMAT training (c )
9 of the 66 are currently in the FMAT1 course
31 FMAT graduates are now in residency (c )
8 students will graduate in June 2017 and enter FM residency at TTUHSC & JPS (Ft. Worth)
8 SOM applicants have been offered seats (c2020)
5 students have opted to return to the 4-year program (reasons: couples match, residency elsewhere, residency other than FM)
4 students have been counseled to return

11. How Have FMAT Students Done During Medical School?
Performance comparable to their 4-year peers:
Basic sciences grade distribution
1 poor performance in MS2 blocks > Loss of 1 student (W/D)
Step 1 scores
1 failure, 1 delay > Loss of 2 students
Clerkship NBME exams
1 failure > Loss of 1 student
Step 2 scores
2 failures on CK
1 failure on CS
> Both proceeded to PGY1 after a delay

12. How Have FMAT Students Done as Happy FM Residents?
Elected Chief
Elected Chief

13. Post-Residency Practice Plans FMAT-Trained Residents, Class of 2016
Practice Location
Practice Type
Cooper (Amarillo)
Weatherford, TX
FM Physician Recruitment/ER 
Wilhelm (Amarillo)
Tulia, TX
Clinic, Hospital, ER
Hartman (Amarillo)
Amarillo, TX
Wound Care
Bramblett (Lubbock)
TTUHSC-Lubbock, TX*
FM Attending
Buchanan (Lubbock)
San Antonio, TX
Private Practice
Dosier (Lubbock)
Canton, TX*
Private Practice w/OB
Sprys (Lubbock)
Student Health/ FM Attending
Willnauer (Lubbock)
Arizona
1-year Integrative Med fellowship
*HPSA

14. Post-Residency Practice Plans FMAT-Trained Residents, Class of 2017
Practice Location
Practice Type
Cruz (Lubbock)
Baton Rouge, LA
Private Practice
Fitzgerald (Lubbock)
Abilene, TX
Clinic, Hospital, ER
Nelson (Lubbock)
Childress, TX*
Reddick (Lubbock)
Post, TX*
Weaver (Baylor-Garland)
DFW
*HPSA

15. FMAT Successes Functioning curriculum
Opportunities for students to demonstrate competencies
Faculty access & availability
Coordinator support
Integration of basic sciences & clinical content
Flexibility in scheduling to accommodate student needs
Student enrichment sessions for Step 1 prep
Navigation through the Match
Student that show growth in their commitment to FM over time
Promising post-residency position choices

16. Texas Tech FMAT National Attention for a Disruptive Innovation?
Several articles about this new innovation highlighting FMAT have appeared in such publications as 1. AAFP, 2. ABC News, 3. Newsweek, 4. USA Today and 5. FOX Business news…..

17. Consortium of Medical Schools with Accelerated Pathway Programs
Family Medicine / Primary Care Track
Other / All Tracks
Mercer University School of Medicine
Penn State College of Medicine
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine
University of California Davis
University of Louisville
University of Kentucky
Ohio State University
University of North Carolina
Medical College of Wisconsin, Central and Green Bay
McMaster University
New York University School of Medicine
Duke University

18. What We’ve Learned Biggest Challenges Happiest Outcomes
Anything that affects time for medical students, such as the need for a delay before Step 1
Campus distribution for MS3/residency
Identifying students at risk of not passing Step 2
Protecting 3-year pathway from expansion to other specialties
Enthusiastic support from basic sciences faculty
Ability to recruit students into primary care who might have chosen other specialties
Student interest in TTUHSC because of FMAT option
Strong PGY1 readiness after 3 years of medical school
Resident success & placement plans
National visibility & involvement with other schools with 3-year programs

19. Our Team Family Medicine Basic Sciences Nimat Alam MD Frank Babb MD
Steering Committee
Betsy Jones EdD, Med Ed/ FM, Co- Director
Ron Cook DO, FM/ MedEd, Co- Director
Rodney Young MD, Amarillo
Jerry Kirkland MD, Amarillo
Fred Onger MD, LBB
Tim Benton, MD, PB
Ikemefuna Okwuwa MD, PB
Steve Berk MD, Dean
Simon Williams PhD, Assoc Dean Acad Aff
Lauren Cobbs MD Assistant Dean Stu Aff
Felix Morales MD, Assoc Dean Admissions
Resident Rep
Kale Bates, Coordinator
Family Medicine
Nimat Alam MD
Frank Babb MD
David Edwards MD
Jamie Haynes MD
Ellen Hampsten MD
Kelly Klein MD
Kit Linton MD
Fiona Prabhu MD
Jennifer Mitchell MD
Kim Peck MD
Mike Ragain MD
Randy Sheets MD
John Slayton DO
David Trotter PhD
Basic Sciences
Greg Brower PhD*
Jane Colmer-Hamood PhD*
Janette Dufour PhD
Cassie Kruczek PhD*
Vaughan Lee PhD*
Raul Martinez-Zaguilan PhD
Tom Tenner PhD*
Dan Webster PhD*
*Dept of Medical Education