Family Medicine Resident Spotlight: Dr. Sydney Geiger

Sydney Geiger, MD, is a third-year resident at the North Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program. She is passionate about community-centered care, health equity and full-spectrum family medicine. We spoke about her experience in residency, key training opportunities and her goals of serving underserved and diverse communities.

Why did you choose the North Memorial Family Medicine Residency program, and how did it align with your practice interests?

I feel like number one for me about the North Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program is the community. First of all, it was important to me to work in a residency that celebrated diversity with a diverse resident class to learn from and learn with. Someday, I would like to work in an urban or rural underserved setting. I want to learn to work with patients who may be uninsured or underinsured. I want to do anti-racist work, work closely with social workers, and do community health work. North Memorial has that to offer. What makes us special is that we work in North Minneapolis, a historically marginalized community. That really shapes the learning that we are doing.

Also, being part of a diverse residency class was really important to me. There are residents of all different backgrounds, many of whom represent the community that we work in. It was important to me to learn from different residents who speak all different languages and to be surrounded by faculty who are doing advocacy work and having the important conversations.

I also want to do some addiction medicine work so that I can do Suboxone at my visits in the future. There is a little bit of everything at North Memorial. But for me, the most important part was the community.

What aspects of the program do you particularly appreciate?

One thing I really enjoyed in my second year is that we got to do a community health elective, which is super awesome. It is a whole month, and you get to do two ride-alongs in an ambulance. You get to go out with the community paramedics and see how they visit people's homes, check whether they have trouble accessing care and check blood pressure.

In the afternoons, we get to go to Avenues for Youth, which serves youth experiencing homelessness. We complete any medical intakes and answer any questions. They might ask if it is okay to take ibuprofen with this medicine, or they just come by and say hi, which is awesome.

Then, every second Saturday, we go to The Ladder, where we work with kids in the community who are interested in working in healthcare. That is dedicated time that you get during the community health elective as well.

Another cool thing I was not expecting about our program is that one of our faculty members is really involved with the rural community. I got to go out to Willmar and do some rotations there. I learned so much and got to do so many procedures. It really inspired an interest for me in moving to a rural community and doing work out there.

We have a dedicated clinic where we get to do work in addiction medicine. We have faculty who are very supportive of that. If we have any questions, we can always go to them.

Another thing I really like is our hospital service. I did not think I was an inpatient person coming into residency, but I really like the organization and the support that we have for our inpatient medicine service. I feel like that time is worthwhile. I learn a lot, and we are providing good care.

How is the program preparing you for your career goals?

We get a good baseline in everything, which is the most that you can ask for in a program. We get good training in hospital medicine. We get good clinic training. For me, I want to work in an underserved community – working with patients who do not have good access to health care and overcoming those barriers. That is something that we are trained well to do.

If I want to go out into a rural practice someday, we can do something like me spending a month out in a rural practice next year. I also speak Spanish, and I want to integrate it into my career. On our labor and delivery floor, I get to speak a good amount of Spanish. Next year, I am planning to spend a month in Ecuador, which is going to be exciting. There is a little bit of everything.

What does each day look like for you as a resident?

I would say in residency, you do not always do the same thing. Our rotations change every two weeks. For example, whenever I am on OB, it always looks the same. Whenever I am on hospital medicine, it always looks the same. But every two-week block, it changes.

The earliest you have to arrive for a hospital-based rotation is 7 a.m. Some rotations have longer evenings, followed by days off; others finish around 5 or 6 p.m. I would say there is no predictable day. Just last week, I was in Willmar, and now I am at Children's Minnesota, and before that, I was on nights. So it changes quite often.

What are your plans after family medicine residency?

I am still deciding what my next job will look like, but I am leaning toward full-spectrum family medicine. That is really what calls me to work in a rural setting. You can do a little bit of everything. A rural community with a larger Spanish-speaking population would be ideal. I do not get to choose exactly because my partner and I will both be looking for jobs, so we have to find a place where we can both find work. I have always seen myself in the long term working in a clinic at a federally qualified health center in an underserved setting.

What would you tell a prospective trainee about the program?

I would say go for it. I really like our program. I think the most special thing about our program is the people. I can genuinely rely on my co-residents. I can be very honest with them and trust them with everything. That is probably the most important thing to me. So, I would say it is a great community and definitely come join us. Also, there is free food and free parking, which is important as well.

What do you like best about learning, living, and practicing in Minnesota?

I am a little bit boring because I am from Minnesota. I probably could enjoy living and learning on the beach, but this is where my family is from and where I will probably stay. I think Minnesota is a really good place for family medicine. We have a bunch of great programs here in Minnesota. It is a big community with a great state healthcare system and a lot of support. I really appreciate that.

I appreciate being close to my family, so when life gets hard, they can bring me meals and look out for me. Then, if you are a very active person who likes biking, there is that. If you want to pick up your cross-country skis or learn how to do that, you can. So, there is a little bit of everything.

Learn more about our North Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program.