Duluth Family Medicine Residency Program
We have been training compassionate, skilled family physicians and preparing them to be the foundation of healthy communities for over 40 years.
Most of our residents go on to practice in rural communities with populations of 25,000 or less. Our graduates have a 100 percent ABFM board pass rate.
Our clinic is deeply rooted in the surrounding community and serves a socioeconomically diverse patient base. The hospital training sites are regional hubs within walking distance of the clinic.
Duluth is located in northern Minnesota, along the shores of Lake Superior.
Curriculum highlights
- High-volume and high-risk OB with the opportunity for c-section training
- Curriculum focused on high-acuity patients, both hospitalized adults and children
- Ultrasound didactics and training on-site
- Broad elective opportunities adaptable to resident focus
- Global Family Medicine
Our community
- Discover the city of Duluth
- Article featuring Program Director Caryn Gerber, MD: Family medicine residency program addresses provider gap in rural communities
- Life in Minnesota
Apply, benefits, and residency resources
- How to apply
- Application process note: Opportunities to interact with residents socially will be provided.
- Resident stipends and benefits
- Duluth Family Medicine Residency Program fact sheet
- Duluth Residency Program Policy and Procedure Manual
- University of Minnesota Graduate Medical Education Institutional Policies
- Support resources for residents (including mental health resources, well-being tools, work/life balance, and more)
- Physician Wellness Collaborative
- Essentia Health:
- Essentia "My Well-Being Program": Essentia Health also provides resources through the My Well-Being program; ongoing course offerings will encourage you to reflect on and enhance your personal and team well-being
- Sandcreek EAP
Duluth Family Medicine Clinic
See more about Duluth Family Medicine Clinic.
Some of our features and services
- Integrated team model, including behavioral health, pharmacists, RNs, clinical assistants, community health worker, and others
- Chronic disease management
- Support services, with on-site diabetes educators, nutrition services, and coding/billing specialists
- On-site digital x-ray, ultrasound, COLA-certified moderate complexity lab, and dedicated procedure, colposcopy, and OMT rooms
- Located within walking distance of both hospitals
Patient population
- 78% adults, 11% older adults, 10% adolescents, 1% newborns
- 40% Medicaid, 30.5% private insurance, 26% Medicare, 3.5% uninsured
Our residents train at two hospitals.
Essentia Health–St. Mary’s Medical Center
Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center is the region's largest hospital, featuring:
- A Level I Trauma Center
- Multiple ICUs, including the region’s only ICU for newborns and children
- Multispecialty services
Essentia Health is an integrated health system serving a population of 460,000 patients in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Idaho.
St. Mary’s brand-new hospital opened in July 2023.
St. Luke's Hospital
St. Luke's Hospital was the first hospital in the city of Duluth, featuring a Level II Trauma Center and multispecialty services.
Duluth is perfectly positioned between the sparkling blue waters of Lake Superior and one of America’s most spectacular wilderness areas. The city also boasts a comprehensive, state-of-the-art medical community with a physician population of more than 400.
Favorite Duluth attractions of staff, faculty, and residents:
Duluth is approximately a 2.5-hour drive north from the Twin Cities.
Community Outreach
- Duluth Family Medicine Residency Program hosts the Healthcare and Homelessness Committee, which meets monthly and is a space for healthcare organizations and representatives of community organizations that address an individual's lack of housing and to discuss community issues. Members include representatives of Essentia Health and St. Luke's, Duluth's two large healthcare systems, as well as the Duluth Family Medicine Residency Program, St. Louis County, CHUM, Lutheran Social Services, Life House, and the Bob Tavani Medical Respite House. Among other activities, the committee advises several ongoing projects at the residency program, including our outreach clinic at CHUM – Duluth's primary shelters for unhoused people – and our involvement at the Bob Tavani Respite House.
- Opportunities to work with a local addiction and dependency organization and to gain Suboxone treatment experience.
HOW MANY DELIVERIES DO YOU DO DURING RESIDENCY?
Obstetrics is one of our core rotations here in Duluth along with Family Medicine Service, Adult Medicine, and Pediatrics.
Upon graduation our residents can expect to have cared for between 100 and 150 child-births; the program also provides a significant amount of universal obstetrics care with the opportunity to collaborate with NICU admissions while on OB and pediatrics.
The clinical portion of the OB/GYN rotation has also been enhanced with more outpatient procedural experience including colposcopy, IUD insertion, and exposure to treatment modalities for precancerous/cancerous cervical lesions.
Lastly, our OB/GYN rotation is service based. This means our resident team covers all patients on the floor. As a result, this improves continuity of care and augments our perinatal management skills greatly. We follow all patients from the minute they are on the floor until they walk out the door. This contributes to a more robust experience because we are caring for more child-births and patients with complex care situations such as preeclampsia and postpartum from door to door.
We believe this holistic approach better prepares our residents for any practice setting they may choose to enter.
CAN I GET C-SECTION TRAINING IN YOUR PROGRAM?
Yes, there is an elective c-section training track available in which residents can expect to perform 50 to 75 primary cesarean sections during their third year. There are also numerous opportunities to be the first assist during the first two years of residency.
WHAT KIND OF CRITICAL CARE EXPERIENCE DO YOU GET?
Our critical care experience is both focused and longitudinal.
We admit patients to the ICU throughout our longitudinal rotations. Additionally, all second-year residents complete a one block critical care rotation where they work directly with the critical care physicians admitting and following patients in the ICU on a daily basis. It is rich in both didactic and procedural experience.
Residents regularly perform procedures including intubations, chest tubes, and central lines. Ultrasound-guided procedures are commonly performed as well. Residents gain experience caring for critically ill patients as well as exposure to toxicology, ventilator management, acid/base disorders, and treatment of sepsis.
WILL I SPEND TIME IN RURAL PRACTICES?
Second-year residents rotate at a rural, full-spectrum family practice; choice of various locations.
WHERE DO YOUR GRADUATES PRACTICE?
More than 60% of our graduates chose to practice in Minnesota, with an additional 16% in Wisconsin. Approximately 63% of our graduates practice in communities of 25,000 people or less.
WHAT IS THE BUSINESS ECONOMY AND WORKFORCE LIKE IN DULUTH?
According to the Northland Connection:
The Northland (370,011) is made up of seven counties in the Minnesota Arrowhead and Douglas County, Wisconsin. The area borders the western tip of Lake Superior, from Minnesota's North Shore to a portion of Wisconsin's South Shore.
A diverse industry mix provides a stable economy. The Northland's quality educational system and low turnover contribute to a proficient, reliable workforce. It's those productive workers who help our growing companies achieve profitability.
The Northland produces world-class large equipment. Its healthcare is vibrant and features the latest procedures and technologies. Broadband crisscrosses the landscape. Natural resources are abundant, but also managed in an environmentally friendly way.
What gives this area the level of quality is its people. We are hard-working and loyal. We lead active lives and play outdoors in all seasons. We like to kayak, mountain bike, climb, and ski. We have a thriving arts community equivalent to that of much larger regions. The Northland means adventure. It means opportunity. It means a quality of place that is second to none.
Learn about the Duluth resident experience
Hear from residents, alumni and faculty
Contact Us
Cassandra Hammer
Program Administrator
Cassandra.Hammer@essentiahealth.org
218-529-9103
Get to know our program director and faculty
University of Minnesota Duluth Family Medicine Residency
Duluth Family Medicine Clinic
330 N Eighth Ave E
Duluth, MN 55805
Duluth Medical Student Opportunities
Rotations
Scheduling preference is shown to University of Minnesota medical students; however, we also welcome medical students from U.S. LCME-accredited or COCA-accredited medical schools for two- to four-week rotations. Non-UMN students can apply for rotations through AAMC/VSLO.
For more information about medical student opportunities, contact Cassie Hammer at cassandra.hammer@essentiahealth.org.
Bias Reporting at the University
Submit anonymous incident reports online at BRRN UReport or incident reports can also be sent to endbias@umn.edu.