Shaping a Career in Rural Health at Willmar’s Family Medicine Residency
Sumaiyya Mohiuddin, MBBS, is a first-year resident at Willmar Rural Family Medicine Residency Program. Having attended medical school at Shadan Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, India, Dr. Mohiuddin felt called to further her training in rural health and preventive medicine. She was drawn to the University of Minnesota’s Willmar program for its strong commitment to underserved communities. Dr. Mohiuddin is one of two residents who comprise Willmar’s first class since the residency program launched in 2024.
Why did you choose the Willmar residency program and how does it align with your practice interests, specifically in rural healthcare?
I chose the Willmar Rural Family Medicine Residency program because it embodies everything I value about rural medicine. I really like the close patient relationships and the full spectrum of scope of practice.
Usually what happens in the city hospitals or the suburban settings is that there will be a lot of other residency programs in the same hospital, but the one in Willmar is unopposed. We are the only residents there, so we get a lot of exposure and a little more attention than usual.
I appreciate that it is a chance to serve an under-resourced yet vibrant community. Willmar is a really nice place to live. I came from India, where I had my own clinic in a rural setting and less resources. It’s a similar idea with practicing here – not that it has less resources, but it’s a similar mentality of being in a place that doesn’t have all these specialized fields. Yet we are working and giving our best just to deliver the utmost care to our patients.
I wanted a residency that would train me not only to be clinically excellent, but also adaptable in a resource-limited setting. And I wanted to be deeply connected to the community. Basically I know most of the people because I meet them on a daily basis, and everybody knows everybody.
Willmar's focus is on continuity of care and broad procedural exposure and community partnerships, which aligns perfectly with my long-term goal of practicing comprehensive family medicine in a rural setting. I also appreciate that the program is new, and it's growing. So there's a real spirit of collaboration and innovation here. I get a chance to be one of the first residents, and I get to help shape something meaningful for the future residents.
What aspects of the program do you particularly appreciate?
I really appreciate the supportive learning environment. We have a great program director, great faculty, and a great coordinator in the residency program. I am going back and forth from Willmar to St. Cloud, scheduling, getting the most of all the rotations, trying to schedule with the doctors so that I get the most amount of exposure. And that's how much the faculty has invested in our growth. As one of the first residents at Willmar Rural Family Medicine, I've had the unique experience of helping build systems and giving inputs with the rotations and what doctors I would want to work with.
As far as training highlights, so far the hands-on procedural experience is a major highlight. Early on in our first year itself, we get a lot of office procedural exposure in Willmar. The other highlight is the continuity of care model. Even though for the first year we'll be doing most rotations in St. Cloud Hospital, we will be doing our continuity care and seeing our own patients back in Willmar Lakeland Clinic, which is a family medicine clinic. So we can follow our patients and their story throughout the three years we are here for residency.
In a rural setting, the emergency and the inpatient exposure that we get is invaluable because we are the ones who are there. We are responsible. Even though there is an attending above us, we get so much exposure. There is so much learning to do, and that challenges me to think broadly. That will eventually make me a better doctor; it'll help me manage those difficult or complex cases by myself later on.
How is this program preparing you for your career goals?
This program is preparing me by giving me confidence in independence and versatility. In a rural setting, we need to manage everything from chronic diseases to obstetrics to acute emergencies. And the Willmar Rural Family Medicine Residency Program builds those skills through diverse rotations that challenge us to think through how to treat a patient in the best way possible. We also learn about population health, community engagement, and health systems, which are critical for addressing rural health disparities. I'm learning not only how to care for individuals, but also how to improve health at a community level.
After residency, I hope to get into a fellowship, preferably family medicine obstetrics. Ultimately I would like to have my own clinic in a similar setting, practicing full-spectrum family medicine. I'm also interested in teaching and mentoring medical students and possibly staying involved in residency education or rural health advocacy.
What does your day look like for you as a resident?
From day to day, everything is different, which is what I love about family medicine. On clinic days, I see a wide variety of patients and visit types: newborns, chronic disease follow ups, urgent visits, and prenatal care, all in one day. On inpatient rotations, usually what happens is I start early in the morning with some pre-rounds, and then we have formal rounds with the attending I'm rotating with.
And also in inpatient family rotations, we are managing admissions from the ER and working closely with a multidisciplinary team: the specialist, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists. They all work great as a team and ultimately we strike a good balance with patient care. In the afternoons, sometimes we talk about a specific case, and it's a good learning experience.
At lunchtime, we listen to a lecture given by one of our faculty members. That helps firm up many of the things that we already learned, and it's a good refresher for us on a daily basis for the most common presenting diseases.
At Willmar, we take a well-organized approach to caring for patients in the clinic setting. If it's a well-child visit, we will talk about all the things we need to go through and why it’s important to address so many details. If it's an adult visit or a physical or a Medicare visit, we talk about what we need to ask and why. This gives us a good refresher, and it’s an opportunity to write down some notes and keep in mind why we’re doing what we’re doing.
What would you tell a prospective trainee who's considering the Willmar Rural Family Medicine Residency Program?
You get to be part of a small family in a community that also values your ideas and your growth. At Willmar you'll have incredible one-on-one faculty teaching you a broad range of experiences and the opportunity to shape a young program that's full of potential. If you value autonomy, teamwork, and meaningful patient relationships, you'll thrive here.
What do you like best about learning, living, and practicing in Minnesota?
Minnesota has an amazing balance of professional opportunity and quality of life. I love how welcoming and community-oriented people are, especially in smaller towns like Willmar. There's a real sense of connection between the hospital and the community. From a learning perspective, the University of Minnesota system provides excellent academic support and access to a strong statewide network of family medicine physicians. And personally, I enjoy the outdoor lifestyle: the lakes, the trails, and the seasons make it a great place to live in Willmar.
It's good to be in a rural setting hospital because you learn a lot. It's great to be in an unopposed program because it pushes your limits and deepens your knowledge. It challenges you to think broadly and it challenges you to overcome the fears you have, especially as an intern. I believe I will become a great doctor because I have access to some incredible faculty and receive regular exposure to all kinds of settings where there's nothing except learning and getting new experiences.
Is there anything else you would like to say about your experience as a resident at Willmar Rural?
Our program director, Dr. Rick Wehseler, has been practicing in a rural setting for a very long time. He was raised in the rural area of New London, Minnesota. Being a resident under his guidance – along with Dr. Maria Loerzel and the other faculty members – makes for such a great learning opportunity. They teach you with utmost respect. They ask you questions that help you think about what might be happening to the patient and the probable diagnosis.
Initially, as an intern, even though you have gone through all the examinations and you have all these things in your pocket that you have already learned, it's not easy with a patient in front of you. At that moment, you’re trying to think about all the things you learned in the past five to six years. Having a program director and a team of faculty who are so deeply experienced and supportive goes a long way in helping you gain confidence as a doctor.
