May 8, 2009

Murphysboro Health Clinic Honored by SIU Med School

The Murphysboro Health Clinic and its family medicine physicians who serve as preceptor teachers for Southern Illinois University School of Medicine are being honored this month by SIU’s Department of Family and Community Medicine (FCM).  The physicians are being recognized for the contributions they’ve made in educating SIU medical students.

The group is receiving a “Center of Excellence” award from SIU’s FCM department for having served as a model preceptor site for the School of Medicine.  SIU is recognizing a handful of sites for providing its students with a broad experience in the family medicine specialty and for serving as strong models for a good family medicine medical practice.

“The Murphysboro physicians and staff have provided an excellent teaching experience for our preceptorship program and have consistently received very favorable student feedback,” says Dr. Amber J. Barnhart, associate professor of family and community medicine.  “We depend on wonderful, experienced physicians like these for opportunities for our students to develop their medical knowledge in an office setting while working under the watchful eye of the supervising physicians.”

Since its beginning in 1981, nearly 2,000 SIU medical students have participated in the program, which is offered by the School’s Department of Family and Community Medicine.

SIU School of Medicine is a public medical school established in 1970 and focused on the health care needs of downstate Illinois.  An international leader in medical education, the school is based in Carbondale and Springfield and is specifically oriented to educating new physicians prepared to practice in Illinois communities.  Since opening, more than 2,200 physicians have graduated from its program.  Its Web site is www.siumed.edu.

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