Frequently Asked Questions

What are the advantages of having multiple residencies in a community based hospital like WellSpan York Hospital?

• Richer academic environment
• Greater amount of teaching
• Greater availability of educational facilities and resources including an excellent research department, a large medical library with librarion services, and a state-of-the-art medical simulation center
• More full time teachers/faculty on all clinical services and more structured teaching services
• Increased number of medical students
• Increased availability of conferences with many nationally recognized speakers from surrounding medical schools
• Plentiful patient volume
• Promoting collaborative and collegial work with colleagues in other fields and learning appropriate use of consultants
• More opportunities to teach and grow as a doctor

How is family medicine positioned in the WellSpan York Hospital community?

York’s family medicine residency was established in 1968. Many of its graduates and other family physicians play key leadership roles in York County, which bolsters the regard and support for the specialty. The collegiality enjoyed by residents is promoted from the top of the WellSpan organization.

Family physicians hold the following positions of leadership in our organization:

• Executive VP and Chief Physician Executive, Wellspan Health - Anthony Aqulina, DO
• VP of Primary Care Service Line - Mark Goedecker, MD 
• Past Executive VP - Clinical Practice WellSpan Medical Group - Thomas McGann, MD
• Past CEO, WellSpan Health - Kevin Moser, MD
• Various past and current presidents of the Medical Staff of York Hospital

How much call is a resident responsible for?

All call responsibilities comply with ACGME requirements.

G-1 residents: Rotation dependant. There is no call during FP outpatient, inpatient family medicine, Gyn Surgery, or Ophthamology rotations. Peds, OB, and surgery all utilize a night float system.

G-2 residents: Short call is from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. once a week while on the inpatient service. Weekend call can be 5 p.m. - 8 a.m. Fridays, 8 am - 8 pm Saturday and Sunday, or 8 pm to 8 am Saturday night. Weekend call is a 12 hour shift. All together there are approximately 20 calls in a year. While on your six week continuity obstetrical rotation, you will not be asked to take regular call.

G-3 residents: Similar to G-2 schedule above except there is no obstetrical rotation in the G-3 year.  As Peds chief, residents take two weekend day calls over the course of the rotation.

Night Float: The night float resident is in house from 8 p.m. - 7 a.m., Sunday - Thursday. There is always an assigned back-up person to help if needed.

OB Backup: We encourage our residents to support continuity in patient care from their first year. Nowhere is this more important than in our longitudinal obstetrical patients. Every effort is made for the primary resident following an obstetrical patient to be integrally involved in all aspects of prenatal care and the birthing process. The resident should be available for management of labor and delivery with an attending once their patient has reached her due date, unless prior arrangements have been made for resident coverage. Continuity OB patients are assigned in a block and residents cover a six week block for the year.

How much elective time?

Four months in the third year and two months in the second year. Popular electives include additional emergency medicine, outpatient orthopedics, infectious disease, endocrinology, neurology, nephrology and international experiences.

What changes might I expect from year to year?

Change is a healthy sign, evidence of new ideas, flexibility, and a willingness to experiment. Most changes occur in the area of curriculum development. Each resident is challenged to set personal and career goals for three years of formal training. Progress in areas of individual emphasis is regularly reviewed. Both residents and attendings receive evaluations and feedback during and following each rotation. Residents maintain a strong voice in the residency and we pride ourselves on continually trying to "fine tune" and improve all experiences.

What computer and informatics’ resources are used by the residents?

The Thomas M. Hart Family Practice Center, our principle practice site, utilizes an electronic medical record that is accessible to physicians both in our office and remotely. All laboratory results, digital images from our imaging department, pharmacy information, consultant letters, and office records can be quickly accessed by any authorized user. In addition, there is also a library available at the hospital with both print and electronic resources.

The WellSpan York Hospital is part of a fully integrated health system that supports a wireless environment and hundreds of conveniently located desktop computers. WellSpan Health was named among the “Top 100 Most Integrated Health Networks” by Verispan, a health care data and consulting firm in Yardley, Pa. for the fourth time.

Who are our faculty?

Our full-time faculty include 7 board-certified family physicians with over 150 years of cumulative practice experience. Two are double boarded in geriatrics and one is double boarded in sports medicine. Three maintain active practice in maternity care. This core is complemented by a clinical psychologist who coordinates behavioral science, and over 25 family physicians who are part-time office preceptors.

Our depth and breadth of faculty experience makes it possible for family physicians to teach the residents the essential elements of family medicine in the office, hospital wards, nursing home, and labor hall. Our faculty has a distinguished record of national, regional and local awards. Many additional volunteer faculty are drawn from all specialties that serve the York community.

How are residents selected?

Eight first-year resident positions in family medicine are offered. Selection is by committee, composed of administrators, faculty, and housestaff. Clinical evaluations, recommendations, interview feedback, and evidence of social engagement are carefully weighed. Residents also play a critical role in helping select future residents. Our hope is to select a resident group with diverse interests, strong character, and commitment to helping people.

Notice of Rights Under Federal Conscience and Anti-Discrimination Laws

WellSpan Health and all WellSpan Hospitals comply with applicable Federal conscience and antidiscrimination laws prohibiting exclusion, adverse treatment, coercion, or other discrimination against individuals or entities on the basis of their religious beliefs or moral convictions. You may have the right under Federal law to decline to perform, assist in the performance of, refer for, undergo, or pay for certain health care-related treatments, research, or services (such as abortion or assisted suicide, among others) that violate your conscience, religious beliefs, or moral convictions. 

 If you believe that WellSpan Health or any WellSpan Health Hospital has failed to accommodate your conscientious, religious, or moral objection, or has discriminated against you on those grounds, you can file a conscience and religious freedom complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, available at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf or by mail or phone at: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Room 509F, HHH Building Washington, DC 20201, 1–800–368–1019, 800–537–7697 (TDD). Complaint forms and more information about Federal conscience and anti-discrimination laws are available at http://www.hhs.gov/conscience. 

A copy of the complete rule and OCR’s explanatory text, as published in the Federal Register, is available at: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-05-21/pdf/2019-09667.pdf.