Family Medicine
The Family Medicine Residency Program prepares residents to care for the whole family in an environment that respects their needs and interests, while preparing them for extraordinary careers. We train outstanding Family Medicine physicians to practice and lead high-quality, patient-centered, team-based care.
Caring for the whole family
Cobb County offers a diverse patient population whose needs reflect the many medical specialties a practicing family physician encounters on a daily basis. From pediatrics to obstetrics and geriatrics, residents will experience a rewarding opportunity to learn and grow as physicians and as people, gaining invaluable skills and experience.
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Relevant Research Experience
Gain high-valuable exposure in trending areas like population health, quality of care and medical ethics. Learn patient care best practices from our Accountable Care Organization (ACO), recognized nationally for cost-savings and improved patient outcomes.
Sub-specialty Immersion
All core faculty members supervise residents within the Family Medicine clinic. Faculty members and colleagues participate in didactic and hands-on learning.
Imaging Excellence
Residents benefit from immediate faculty involvement on interpretation of all X-rays taken at the outpatient clinic at the point of care. Preceptors assist the residents in interpreting X-rays and give immediate feedback.
Focus on Wellness
Maintaining personal wellness, developing resiliency and combating burnout through awareness and healthy lifestyles is a consistent focus during the residency program. It is a group priority for all faculty members, who receive specific guidance from the behavioral medicine faculty.
Curriculum
The Family Medicine curriculum is designed to comply with requirements to train residents to practice independently and to take and pass the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) specialty board certification exam. The educational plan is designed to meet/exceed the educational requirements of the ACGME, Family Medicine Residency Review Committee (RRC-FM) and the ABFM. The program’s structure gives residents the flexibility to configure learning opportunities to meet professional interests and to help them achieve their goals.

Residents provide continuity of care for their panel of patients in diverse settings, including inpatient, outpatient, labor and delivery, and long-term care.

Residents typically spend seven months on the inpatient family medicine service. The continuity clinic is an ongoing part of Family Medicine training.

Whether instruction takes place in the state-of-the-art Family Medicine Clinic or our 633-bed regional hospital, faculty members guide residents in the art and science of medicine. They challenge them to grow and develop, and nurture their ability to improve patient care and quality of life.
Interns spend vital time on rotational services, building their knowledge in areas including ICU, OB/GYN, surgery, inpatient pediatric and the emergency department, both adult and pediatric.

The Family Medicine boot camp/orientation rotation is a unique opportunity that takes place during the first month of the PGY-1 year. During this innovative and memorable rotation, residents complete didactics and online modules focusing on documentation training, coding, billing, electronic health record (EHR) training, practice improvement and HIPAA compliance training.

In their third year, Kennestone Family Medicine residents continue to hone their patient-care skills, while demonstrating leadership in family medicine. Year 3 residents have the opportunity to precept medical students and junior residents, which helps them develop bedside teaching and supervisory skills. Leadership development plays an essential role during year 3 as senior residents oversee the management of patients while precepting junior residents.Second year residents learn from sub-specialty physicians and spend more time with continuity patients in our state-of-the-art outpatient clinic.

In recognition of the ever-increasing importance of ultrasound-guided procedures, Family Medicine residents learn about ultrasound from faculty experts.

Residents have the opportunity to see patients longitudinally within the sports medicine field, treating college athletes under the supervision of a board-certified physician in family and sports medicine.

Family Medicine faculty with obstetrical care privileges directly supervise residents in the complete care of pregnant women.
Family Medicine residents participate in a variety of longitudinal care experiences.
  • Provide ongoing continuity outpatient care during half-day sessions in the Family Medicine Clinic.
  • Deliver ongoing prenatal and inpatient labor and delivery care to continuity maternity patients.
  • Provide continuity care to nursing home patients.
Residents receive didactic and tutorial instruction in health system management experiences during their Family Medicine COPC tutorial sessions and during grand rounds.
While we firmly believe that the practice of Family Medicine is best learned through hands-on clinical care, we also recognize the importance of a high quality didactic curriculum to supplement clinical learning.

During monthly Journal Clubs, residents learn research methodology and literature review. Other learning opportunities include a weekly Grand Rounds series, Morbidity and Mortality, a longitudinal board review program, and a Wellness and Longevity curriculum.

Training also includes simulation sessions, procedure labs and interactive didactics to help residents prepare to manage highly complex medical patients. We provide certification in ACLS and PALS.
Additional elective experiences are included but not limited to: allergy/immunology, psychiatry, psychology/behavioral medicine, dermatology, medical oncology, women’s health/GYN, ENT, orthopedics/sports medicine, palliative care, geriatrics, pathology, sleep medicine, rehabilitation medicine and medical ophthalmology.

Leveraging the strengths of the Wellstar Health System, Family Medicine curriculum and clinical experiences are available in areas including community health, student health, research, population health, health policy/advocacy, urgent care, international health, complex care and bariatric medicine.
Resident education is enhanced by a variety of learning experiences. Conferences address learning needs traditionally identified by residents including: Family Medicine Grand Rounds, Ambulatory Morning Report, Inpatient Report, Journal Club, Quality Improvement, a board review course and Morbidity/Mortality Improvement. We also offer workshops and educational sessions related to leadership development.
Leadership & House Staff
How to Apply
We invite you to submit your application through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Any interested individual must be registered to participate in the National Residency Match Program (NRMP); no program positions will be offered outside of the NRMP.

Our application deadline is December 1st; applications not submitted (and complete) by this date will not be considered for review by the residency selection committee. The program’s residency selection committee will review the ERAS applications and interview offers will be extended based on the applicant’s overall portfolio. Interview invitations will be issued only through the ERAS post office to the applicant’s e-mail address, as indicated on the ERAS application. Available interviews will be scheduled on a first-come first-served basis.

Questions? Contact Program Coordinator Tammy Hamm.
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