Member of the Week: Dr. Michael Rhodes
Practice: I’m currently the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at Noorda-COM in Provo. We currently have MS1’s and MS2’s and have already begun interviews for next fall. Most of my time has been spent building our core and adjunct faculty ranks, creating lecture content, working with area hospitals and health systems as we gear up to starting clinical rotations next year (Aug 2023). They let me help with the Rural Medicine and Wilderness Medicine Interest groups. Unfortunately I still have administrative responsibilities but what really “gets me out of bed every morning” is the opportunity to work with young learners who are eager to learn about medicine and watch them learn and grow into competent and compassionate young physicians.
Residency: Floyd Medical Center, Rome GA
Fellowships or additional training: Nothing ACGME related, but few weeks long to several months long additional trainings programs: Intermountain Healthcare’s Advanced Training Program (ATP) in Clinical Quality Improvement. Residency Program Director Development (NIPDD). Leadership Development for Health Care Executives – UofU School of Business. Healthcare Leadership and Admin Decision Making – US DHS & FEMA.
A bit about Dr. Rhodes: I grew up a military brat on the East coast. I was born in GA and spent my childhood between there and Philadelphia. When my father retired from the USMC, I was a sophomore in High School and we moved to Lehi, UT (Go Pioneers!). After High School I spent 18 months in the Netherlands. Then returned and completed one semester at UVU (then it was UVCC). I then moved back to Georgia to complete my undergrad in Biochemistry at Univ of Georgia in Athens GA. I attended medical school at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Though I wasn’t enamoured by the methods used for medical education, we all have horror stories from med school, I did love learning about everything in school and was drawn to Family Medicine because of the breadth of knowledge needed as well as the ability to have meaningful relationships with patients. I often say the students who are drawn to Family Medicine probably have a touch of ADD >:-). That was me. I stayed in GA for my Family Medicine residency and at that time, Intermountain Healthcare was just starting their Medical Group. I joined their group in Layton in 1994. That group also functioned as part-time faculty for the residency program at Mckay-Dee Hospital and found myself LOVING working with the residents. So much so that when Intermountain decided to open a new Family Medicine Program at UVH in Provo, I jumped on board as a junior faculty member. A few years later, I found myself as the Residency Program Director and did that for 17 years. I absolutely Loved it. Hospitals have a way though of putting you on more and more committees, so over time and I found myself doing more Admin with the area hospitals. I finally stepped down as PD and began being a full-time medical director with IHC with their Utah Co Hospitals. With the two large Universities in Orem/Provo, there has been talks of putting a medical school in Utah County for years. I had some of my own concerns and felt some educational models weren’t’ a good fit for the area but I was super stoked when it was decided to build a new school, from the ground up with a unique curriculum and educational approach focused on adult education principles and no preconceived notions of “that’s just the way we’ve done it for 50 years”. I quickly left Hospital administration world behind and went back to my love for medical education.
What keeps you passionate about family medicine? I LOVE medical education and I love being a family doc. I know some of us get offended by the phrase “Jack of all trades” but I’ve used it to describe myself and I wear it like a badge of honor. Being a Master of the fundamentals in football is what drove the success of Vince Lombardi and his Green Bay Packers. Being a Master of the fundamentals of medicine is what stands family docs apart.
What do you wish you’d known when you graduated from medical school? I remember being told in the late 80’s – early 90’s that family medicine was dead and we were going to be replaced by PA’s and NP’s. That was utter nonsense!! Family Medicine is the FUTURE of healthcare. My childhood TV Sci-fi idol was Dr. “Bones” McCoy of the Star Ship Enterprise. He was the only doc on a ship of nearly 500 crew and he did it all. He treated broken bones, burns, performed minor surgery, delivered babies and was the ship’s counselor (before Next Gen). The ONLY thing that separates us from Dr McCoy (besides 200 years) is technological advancement and knowing how to use it while still maintaining a humanist relationship with our patients.
Where will we find you on your day off? Likely chilling in my pool with friends or family. Or camping on my property near Duchesne. I love jeeping or riding UTV’s. I’m a tinkerer, so there is ALWAYS a project in my garage. aka “Jack of all trades.”
What are you…
reading right now: The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter
watching right now: Only Murders in the Building