CentraCare St. Cloud Family Medicine Residency
Our program trains family physicians to provide broad spectrum and whole-person care in settings ranging from rural to urban.
Our program is a partnership with the University of Minnesota and CentraCare, a large not-for-profit health system centered in St. Cloud that extends into many rural communities in central Minnesota. St. Cloud, one of Minnesota's most affordable places to live, offers a unique setting for training that spans suburban and rural environments.
Clinical training is in a vibrant, diverse family medicine clinic where residents provide care with a team of professionals, including behavioral health consultants, care coordinators, community paramedics, social workers, community health workers, pharmacists, and medical-legal consultants. Our inpatient and maternity care training is at St. Cloud Hospital, the regional medical center for central Minnesota. Rotations with other specialists are in supportive, exciting learning environments in St. Cloud. Rural training is in the surrounding rural hospitals and clinics.
Our medical community is committed to medical education, hosting our residency program for over 30 years, and recently opening a regional campus of the University of Minnesota Medical School. Our residents are afforded personalized attention from our various subspecialty preceptors. We are also committed to rural training and experiences and have been recognized in 2025 on the Rural Medical Training Collaborative’s (RMTC) "List of Featured Programs with a Proven Track Record of Producing Rural Physicians".
Explore our Rural Training Partner Program: Willmar Rural Residency Program
Curriculum highlights
- Individualized training tailored to resident needs and interests
- Emphasis on broad spectrum training to prepare graduates for rural or urban practice
- Procedural and point-of-care ultrasound training
- Training tracks offered for advanced maternity care, colposcopy and vasectomy
- Lifestyle medicine training track with eligibility to sit for American College of Lifestyle Medicine boards upon completion
- Addiction medicine training including medication-assisted therapy for opioid use disorder
- Integrated behavioral health
- Opportunities to care for groups that have been historically economically/socially marginalized
- Global health
Apply, benefits, and residency resources
- How to apply
- Resident stipends and benefits
- CentraCare St. Cloud Family Medicine Residency Program fact sheet
- CentraCare St. Cloud Family Medicine 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)
Where we practice
CentraCare Family Health Clinic
The clinic is a 19,009 square foot, state-of-the-art facility, completely equipped for educational purposes.
Some of our features and services
- Mission to care for patients in Central Minnesota who are experiencing disadvantages due to under-resourced healthcare
- Integrated care team, which includes psychologists, pharmacist, ADA-certified diabetic educator, dietitian, community health workers, medical legal partnership, community paramedic, and social worker
- Diverse patient population with in-person interpreter services for patients with limited English proficiency
- Laboratory, digital radiology, and pharmacy services on-site
- Office procedures include: dedicated OMT and procedural rooms to accommodate colposcopy, endometrial biopsy, common skin procedures, and more
- Lactation room
- Large classroom and meeting space
- Two blocks from CentraCare - St. Cloud Hospital
See more about CentraCare Family Health Clinic.
CentraCare - St. Cloud Hospital
Our hospital started as a community hospital but has grown into a regional, tertiary care medical center providing care for patients with routine and complex issues.
Hospital highlights
- A 489-bed medical center with a community hospital feel
- A strong commitment to medical education with the recent opening of a regional campus of the University of Minnesota Medical School
- Busy birth center with nearly 3,000 deliveries per year
- Level II Trauma Center
- Adult ICU, pediatric ICU, and neonatal ICU
- Magnet designation in recognition of excellence in nursing
- Nationally ranked by U.S. News and World Report and Thomson Reuters
- New, leading-edge Simulation Center designed to mimic hospital patient experiences for clinicians with monthly didactic designed especially for residents
Rural Medicine
Upper-level residents will spend four weeks practicing family medicine in a rural setting. CentraCare sites include Long Prairie, Melrose, Paynesville, and Sauk Centre. However, residents can schedule at any rural family medicine site using the rotation as an opportunity to experience a potential future practice site.
CentraCare Health Plaza
Located 10 minutes from the St. Cloud Hospital, CentraCare Plaza is home to many of our outpatient rotations. Rotations include women’s health, pediatrics, dermatology, and endocrinology.
St. Cloud VA Health Care System
Our collaboration with the St. Cloud Veteran Affairs Health Care System (VAHCS) presents unique opportunities for residents to care for US military veterans. Rotations at the St. Cloud VA include general surgery, orthopedic surgery, urology, and urgent care.
What Are the Aims and Goals of Your Program?
Program Aims
The University of Minnesota / CentraCare St. Cloud Family Medicine Residency Program aims to:
- Provide training that promotes the comprehensiveness of family medicine.
- Prepare family physicians to practice in any setting including rural communities.
- Assist residents in identifying the unique needs of their future practice and provide the training to meet those needs.
- Instill habits of continuous improvement, life-long learning, and informed use of the medical evidence.
- Teach responsiveness to the needs of our patients and communities to promote health equality.
- Equip graduates for the collaborative leadership of healthcare teams.
Program Goals
Our graduates will:
- Achieve competence in the practice of comprehensive, longitudinal family medicine across multiple health care settings.
- Be comfortable in the practice of family medicine in rural and urban communities.
- Identify the unique needs of future practice and community and accomplish training to meet those needs.
- Optimize the care of patients through performance improvement activities, continuous, life-long learning; and the appropriate application of the medical evidence.
- Identify the health needs of the community and provide services to maximize health and minimize disparities.
- Provide collaborative leadership of interprofessional health care teams.
Do You Invite International Medical Graduates to Interview?
Yes. All applications meeting our minimum criteria are reviewed.
Are There Other Residency Programs in the Hospital?
As part of its commitment to medical education, CentraCare is developing rural and community-based tracks in pediatrics, psychiatry and general surgery in conjunction with the University of Minnesota programs in the Twin Cities. Residents in these tracks will spend part of their training in the Twin Cities and part at CentraCare sites in central Minnesota. Our family medicine residency program has been involved in the development of these tracks, so they complement the training of our residents.
How Big is the Residency and How Many Residents are Accepted Per Year?
We are currently a 6-6-6 residency.
Do You Participate in the Couple's Match?
Yes, we participate in the couple's match. We believe that it is important for residents to have active lives outside of the work setting. Our night float and call systems allow for that to occur, even for residents that need to be off work at the same time. Residency is an excellent place to learn how to appropriately balance work-life demands with outstanding mentors and role models.
How Big and Sophisticated is the Hospital?
CentraCare - St. Cloud Hospital runs on an average daily census of about 314. Our family medicine inpatient team has an average census of 10 patients. We provide care to patients with a variety of complex medical needs and very few cases are referred out. Patients are admitted through our Level 2 Emergency Trauma Center. There are medical, cardiac, and pediatric intensive care units. The Family Birthing Center serves high-risk OB patients and the NICU functions as a Level 2-3. We are a Comprehensive Stroke Center and offer advanced cardiac care procedures such as TAVR, WATCHMAN, and LVAD.
How Much OB Do You Do?
CentraCare - St. Cloud Hospital provides care to 2,900 childbirths per year. Residents desiring to practice maternity care upon graduation complete 80 to 120 vaginal deliveries by the end of their residency with opportunities to also get involved in cesarean deliveries. Other residents average 40 to 50 deliveries. Our residents gain valuable experience in OB triage, antenatal complications, and management of both routine and complicated labor and delivery. Residents also provide continuity prenatal care, birthing care, and post-partum care for their patients in clinic.
What About Call?
Please take a look at our call information.
How Much Time is Spent in ICU/CCU? Are the Attendings in the ICU/CCU?
We have a one-month critical care rotation, run by an intensivist. Our family medicine inpatient team also cares for our practice's patients in the ICU. All of the family medicine faculty have privileges in the ICU.
Which Procedures Do Residents Typically Perform Enough During Training to Earn Clinical Privileges?
- Endotracheal intubation
- Joint injection/aspiration
- Casting and splinting
- Circumcision
- Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptive placement, including IUDs and Nexplanon
- Endometrial biopsy
- Incision and drainage
- Point of Care Ultrasound, including limited obstetrical ultrasound
- Skin biopsies and skin lesion excisions
- Cyst and lipoma removal
- Toenail excision
- Laceration repair and suturing
- Vaginal delivery, both assisted and spontaneous, and OB procedures
- Episiotomy and perineal laceration repair
- Surgical assisting
- Spirometry and interpretation
- Colposcopy
- Vasectomy
- Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT)
How Many Admissions Do Your Interns Average on a Call Night While in Medicine?
The residents tend to average 2-3 admissions per night float shift.
How Big is St. Cloud?
St. Cloud's population is about 68,000, and the metro area is about 196,000.
Discover the CentraCare St. Cloud Resident Experience
Contact Us
Ashley Davis
Program Administrator
[email protected]
University of Minnesota St. Cloud Family Medicine Residency
CentraCare - Family Health Clinic
1555 Northway Drive, Suite 200
St. Cloud, MN 56303-1867
Do you offer a family medicine rotation/clerkship?
Yes, we welcome students currently enrolled in accredited medical schools for two- or four-week rotations. We also have free housing available to students while on rotation.
For more information about medical student opportunities, please contact Ashley Davis at [email protected].
Bias Reporting at the University
Submit anonymous incident reports online at BRRN UReport or incident reports can also be sent to [email protected].
Living in St. Cloud
In St. Cloud, you will enjoy more than 80 city parks, fun on the Mississippi River, and breathtaking views of the Munsinger Clemens Gardens. You'll find entertainment at nearly a dozen arts and theater venues such as Paramount Theatre, which sits in the vibrant, historic downtown district.
There's also ample shopping and dining choices in downtown St. Cloud and Crossroads Center Mall.
St. Cloud has many parks and walking trails to enjoy.