FAQs

Yes. The Trinity Health Muskegon Family Medicine Residency Program meets the training requirements of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for residency training in Family Medicine.

The program began in 1989 and has a long history of training family physicians in West Michigan.

We accept five residents per application cycle. The program has a total of 15 residents across the three years of training.

Applications are accepted through ERAS.

Yes.

• We only accept applications through ERAS
• Passed USMLE or COMLEX step 1 and 2
• J-1 Visa available
• Must be a recent graduate or current student in an accredited medical school
• 3 letters of reference

Either test is acceptable. Must have passing marks in the first 2 levels.

Trinity Health Muskegon is an osteopathic recognized program who welcomes both MD and DO applicants each year. 

We receive between 700 and 900 applications each year from throughout Michigan, the United States and from countries with accredited medical programs. We do at least 50 interviews.

We look for applicants that have a strong commitment to family medicine, able to work professionally and empathetically towards our patient population and amongst our colleagues and co-workers, involved in community outreach and are interested in comprehensive patient care.

No.

Yes. The program welcomes visiting medical students and residents.

Students may apply for rotations through VSLO or by directly contacting the program manager. Visiting residents should also contact the program directly. Housing options may be available depending on availability.

Carly Rusco, Program Manager, can be contacted regarding visiting rotations and application questions (Carly.Rusco@trinity-health.org). 

Housing options may be provided depending on availability. Carly Rusco, Program Manager, can be contacted regarding housing availability.

Our continuity clinic is at Trinity Health Medical Group Academic Family Medicine – Fruitport. Also known as Fruitport Family Medicine. The clinic is approximately 7,660 square feet and includes 22 patient rooms, including 20 exam rooms and two procedure rooms.

Located at 3443 Farr Road, Fruitport MI, 49415

Residents have their own panel of patients and care for patients across the lifespan, including:

• Adults
• Newborns
• Pediatric patients
• Geriatric patients
• Pregnant patients

Residents are given increasing independence in managing their patients while working within a structured teaching environment with supervising faculty.

The goal is to prepare residents to confidently manage patients in an ambulatory family medicine setting.

We maintain Osteopathic Recognition through the ACGME. Monthly OMM lectures, OMM rotations, and opportunity to perform OMM on patients in the clinic and in the hospital.

Yes. Trinity Health Muskegon Family Medicine is a founding member of the GME Alliance and is affiliated with Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Residents will have the opportunity to learn OMM throughout their training and will be able to apply these techniques clinically when appropriate. The OMM curriculum is taught by our attending physicians and our OMMN Program Director.

Residents work with a combination of 5 full-time Core Faculty and additional part-time physician faculty within the clinic. 

Inpatient Family Medicine Service has 2 Core Faculty and 5 part-time community faculty

Family Medicine OB and nursery have 3 Core Faculty.

Residents care for a diverse family medicine population from multiple socio-economic statuses.

The program's ambulatory focus allows residents to develop longitudinal relationships with their own patients while also gaining broad inpatient and specialty experience.

All residents must complete 2 scholarly activities including at least one quality improvement project.

Trinity Health has an annual Research Symposium on site. GME funding is available for residents wanting to present at regional or national conferences.

The Scholarly Activity Committee meets regularly to encourage and assist with projects. Full-time medical librarians and PhD Scholarly Activity Coordinator.

• Rotation evaluations
• Direct faculty feedback
• Semiannual evaluations
• Milestone reviews
• 360-degree evaluations
• Individualized learning plans
• Feedback following procedures and presentations

We plan monthly meetings between individual residents with their assigned faculty team leader to track progress toward graduation and collaborate on individual learning goals.

The curriculum includes dedicated Inpatient Family Medicine Call Service rotations. PGY-1 residents will have 4 weeks of inpatient call. PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents each have eight weeks of Inpatient Family Medicine Call Service plus approximately three cross-coverage weekends. Overnight call is home based unless required to go to hospital for patient care. Intern residents do not take cross coverage.

Resident wellness initiatives, scheduling practices, protected time, coverage policies, and how the program responds when residents need additional support.

Trinity Health Muskegon provides competitive salaries and benefits.

Benefits include:

• Meal stipends
• CME funds
• Book and medical equipment funds
• Technology stipend
• Retirement plans
• Insurance benefits

The residency program also pays Michigan educational limited licensure, DEA fees and state pharmacy fees.

Trinity Health Muskegon Medical Education includes several graduate medical education programs, including:

• Family Medicine
• Internal Medicine
• Emergency Medicine
• Obstetrics & Gynecology
• Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine
• Geriatric Medicine fellowship
• Palliative Care

This creates opportunities for residents to train alongside physicians from multiple specialties and disciplines.

Our program combines a strong ambulatory family medicine foundation with broad inpatient and specialty training.

Each resident will have their own diverse patient panel. The program provides substantial exposure to women's health, obstetrics, pediatrics, geriatrics, emergency medicine, hospital medicine, procedures and specialty care.

A particularly important feature is the balance between resident autonomy and structured faculty teaching. Residents are given increasing responsibility for their own patients while continuing to work closely with experienced faculty.

The program also offers significant elective time during all years of training, allowing residents to tailor their education to their individual interests and career goals.

If you are looking for comprehensive family medicine training with a strong outpatient foundation, meaningful inpatient experience, procedural opportunities, obstetrics and women's health exposure, and the ability to tailor your education to your interests, Trinity Health Muskegon offers a broad training experience in West Michigan.

Trinity Health Muskegon is located on the shores of Lake Michigan in West Michigan.

Muskegon and the surrounding Lakeshore provide access to outdoor recreation, beaches, parks, trails and water activities while remaining within easy reach of larger West Michigan communities.

The lakeshore offers extensive outdoor recreation opportunities including beaches, hiking, skiing, and boating. There are several minor league sports teams including the Muskegon Lumberjacks (hockey) and nearby Grand Rapids Griffins (hockey), West Michigan Whitecaps (baseball), Grand Rapids Rise (volleyball), Grand Rapids Drive (basketball), and soon to be Grand Rapids FC (soccer).  There are many restaurants, breweries, festivals, and other family activities throughout the year.

Prospective applicants may contact:

Carly Rusco
Program Manager
Trinity Health Muskegon Family Medicine Residency
Carly.Rusco@trinity-health.org

Applications are accepted through ERAS.

Location: Muskegon, Michigan

Length: 3 years

Total Residents: 15

Residents Accepted per Cycle: 5

Continuity Clinic: Fruitport Family Medicine

Hospital: Trinity Health Muskegon

Pediatric Hospital: Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, Grand Rapids

Application System: ERAS

Affiliation: Michigan State University Statewide Campus System

Program Established: 1989

EMR: EPIC Production