A Family Medicine resident with a young patient

Graduate medical education in family medicine at Mayo Clinic

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Overview

As a resident in the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency in Mankato, Minnesota, you will be taught by nationally recognized experts who are passionate and dedicated teachers. Training is broad-based and includes procedures for comprehensive care.

The Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency is a three-year, ACGME-accredited program with osteopathic recognition, designated to prepare physicians to care for diverse communities across practice settings. As the only residency at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, residents train in rural and urban environments, gaining procedural experience, building continuity with patients, and working closely with faculty.

Grounded in social justice, our residents engage deeply with the community; building relationships and becoming trusted partners. Care is delivered in a team-based model alongside behavioral health, pharmacy, and a health equity coordinator. On-site resources addressing food insecurity, including a garden and produce fridge, are located at the clinic.

Training is hands-on and longitudinal. Each resident is provided with a butterfly handheld device for use during residency for point-of care-ultrasound and procedural training, with dedicated didactics and procedure clinics to build skills. We emphasize whole-person care, including addiction medicine and reproductive health (OB, medication termination of pregnancy, and contraception procedures).

Urban and rural rotations in metro and surrounding communities

Only residency

at Mayo Clinic Health System - Mankato and in the Southwest Minnesota region

Strong focus on community engagement

Program overview video

Program overview video

3:51
Family Medicine resident works with a faculty member at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, Minnesota.

Your training experience

As a resident at Mayo Clinic, you'll have access to robust clinical, educational, and research resources. You'll find support both inside and outside of the campus to promote physical and mental wellness.

Erin Westfall, D.O. Program Director

Director's welcome

Our curriculum prepares you to take care of patients of all ages and throughout all stages of their lives, not only as their personal physician, but also as a leader, scientist, and advocate for a healthy community.

Frequently asked questions (and answers)

How does obstetrics fit into the curriculum?

As a Family Medicine resident, you will have four separate rotations regarding obstetric care throughout your residency training. Learn more about our obstetrics rotations.

What is the call schedule like?

We designed our curriculum to optimize work and personal life integration while providing you with rich learning experiences. We are intentional about creating highly valuable on-call experiences that mimic models of what you might see in practice when you graduate.

During your first year, night call occurs on two rotations. During the second and third years of the residency, you'll have call from home every tenth night and every tenth weekend. Learn more about our call schedule.

What opportunities are there for leadership within the residency program?

Formal elected positions include:

  • Chief Resident
  • Safety/QI Lead
  • Education/Community Health Lead
  • Osteopathic Lead
  • Well-being Lead

In addition to the elected positions listed above, residents have other opportunities to serve in both formal and informal leadership roles and partner with others to create new initiatives. Examples of past and current resident leadership and advocacy engagement include:

  • Serving on the St. Peter Free Clinic Board of Directors
  • Working with faculty to develop an addiction medicine curriculum to train fellow residents
  • Spearheading the creation of a community garden to address food insecurity
  • Serving as a board member for a national organization
  • Creating a free clinic at the homeless shelter both initiated and ran by residents
  • Developing a curriculum to educate young learners at the Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota
  • Designing an individualized leadership elective rotation (upon approval and with faculty support)

Do you offer clinical rotations for medical students?

We offer the Family Medicine elective, a subinternship designed to incorporate fourth-year medical students into the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency – Mankato clinical care teams and consists of both inpatient and ambulatory experiences. 

Current medical students can apply for 4th year clerkship rotations directly via the AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) portal.

See more information on rotations and shadowing/observing with Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency – Mankato on our Medical Student Opportunities webpage. 

 

Are you doing in person or virtual resident interviews this year?

We have chosen to continue with virtual-only interviews in the 2024-2025 interview season. We want to match exceptional applicants and do not want financial or time barriers to prevent applicants from considering us.

Accreditation and certification

The Family Medicine Residency is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), with osteopathic recognition.

After successfully completing this residency, you are eligible to take the Family Medicine Certification Examination offered by the American Board of Family Medicine and/or the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians.

Program history

Our Family Medicine Residency began in Waseca, Minnesota, in 1994. Resident training began at Mayo Clinic Health System — Mankato Hospital in 1995. In the summer of 2005, the residency relocated to Mayo Clinic Health System — Eastridge Clinic in Mankato, Minnesota. July 1, 2022, marked the beginning of a new chapter for the Family Medicine Residency, as the institutional sponsorship transitioned from the University of Minnesota to Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education.

Five new residents join the Family Medicine Residency each year for a total of 15 current residents.

More from Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education

Mayo Clinic resident checking heartbeat of teen patient

Choosing Mayo Clinic

Exterior of the Mayo Clinic Health System - Mankato Hospital.

Mankato, MN

Campus and community

Group of consultant, nurse, and residents discussing case in hallway at Mayo Clinic.

Stipend and benefits

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