Tempered Independence

Medically vulnerable populations in the United States, including 47 million uninsured people and many more who are underinsured, have woefully inadequate access to healthcare services and to Personal Medical Homes. The medically vulnerable are concentrated in rural areas and inner cities. Our department trains physicians to have the skills, desire, and tenacity to serve medically vulnerable populations, and to have a desire to improve the healthcare delivery systems for their populations.

SIU Department of Family & Community Medicine has the distinct opportunity to develop exemplary healthcare delivery systems in rural areas, and to train family physicians with the skills that meet the unique needs of rural populations. This special set of skills is defined by the term “tempered independence."

Tempered Independence:

• Indicates a greater than expected level of clinical confidence and performance among family physicians providing healthcare in rural areas.
• Describes a type of practice with secondary level specialty skills in selected aspects of medical care.
• Rigorous clinical experiences are the basis for this type of practice
• Results from the development and application of lifelong learning skills
• Supports and demands the utilization of electronic media for medical practice and practice management.
• Leads to the development of cognitive and critical thinking skills, procedural skills, and professional skills to meet the needs of rural populations.