The Rush-Copley Family Medicine Residency Story

When Rush and Copley Memorial Hospital first affiliated in the mid 1990’s, the dream of a residency program was planted.  While other specialties were considered (Internal Medicine, Obstetrics) the pursuit of a Family Medicine residency program suited the local community best.  In the early 1990’s the planning began and first residents arrived in 1997.

The Rush-Copley Family Medicine Center received a significant demonstration of local support when 3 family physicians donated their life’s work to the establishment of the Center, moving their patients and office equipment to Rush-Copley.   It was an exciting time as the hospital was newly built and the community looked forward to the tremendous resource the residency could be in serving the healthcare needs of its citizens.   Today, it remains the only residency in the Kane County area.

The vision at the residency’s inception was based upon:

• An unopposed program in an ideal community setting
• The long tradition of family medicine education at Rush Medical College to provide an academic flavor to the community setting
• Creating a nurturing environment for the personal and professional growth of young physicians

The next ten years would show the fulfillment of this vision as exemplified by:

• At total of 25 graduates practicing in a variety of settings such as traditional family medicine practice both with and without obstetrics, urgent care, emergency departments and residency education
• Serving as a referral center for sexually transmitted disease evaluation and colposcopy
• Linkage with community health centers to help implement the Chronic Care Model—an evidence-based approach to improving chronic illness care

An essential element of our philosophy is to encourage the expression of personal interests among the residents. In this way the Rush-Copley program works to contributes to the rich tapestry of family physicians that exemplify our specialty. As we at Rush-Copley look ahead, the vision for the future is one in which Family Physicians will be trained to deliver exceptional care and service by integrating innovative approaches for improving the health of the communities they serve.