UW Cheyenne Residency Training Track Increases Obstetric Care in Wyoming and Beyond

The University of Wyoming’s Family Medicine Residency Program in Cheyenne, in partnership with Cheyenne Regional Medical Center’s obstetric (OB) physicians, has expanded its training to include an OB track for residents who plan to include maternity care in their practice in family medicine.

 

The OB track began in July and mirrors the OB track offered at UW’s Family Medicine Residency Program in Casper, which offers high-risk and surgical OB training. Both residency programs are part of the Department of Graduate Medical Education in the UW College of Health Sciences.

 

Wyoming is experiencing challenges to provide OB care in its rural communities. Fewer than 20 of Wyoming’s hospitals provide maternity care, and there have been several maternity ward closures in recent years. With current levels of availability for OB care in Wyoming, mothers and accompanying family members often must travel 30-60 miles or two hours or more to access OB care.

 

The OB desert situation is complex and multifaceted. One of the potential solutions is to provide physician training for the practice of obstetrics in rural areas. Family medicine physicians are well-suited to practice in rural communities with their breadth of skills and scope of practice, often referred to as “cradle to grave.” Conversely, specialist physicians such as OB-GYN physicians may have difficulty maintaining their specialty-focused practices in communities with small populations.

 

Dr. Beth Robitaille, director of UW’s Department of Graduate Medical Education, says the addition of the new OB track in the Cheyenne Residency Program aims to make a difference for maternal health care in Wyoming and beyond.

 

“Expanding obstetric training in our Family Medicine Residency Programs is a critical step toward addressing the maternal health crisis facing rural communities in Wyoming and the region,” says Patrick Hardigan, dean of the College of Health Sciences. “By equipping our residents with advanced skills in maternity care, we are preparing a workforce that can meet the unique challenges of rural practice -- ensuring that more families can access quality care closer to home. This initiative reflects our college’s deep commitment to serving the health needs of Wyoming through education, innovation and meaningful partnerships.”

 

About UW’s College of Health Sciences

 

UW’s College of Health Sciences trains health and wellness professionals and researchers in a wide variety of disciplines, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, speech-language pathology, social work, kinesiology, public health, health administration and disability studies. The college also oversees residency and fellowship programs in Casper and Cheyenne, as well as operating a speech/hearing clinic in Laramie and primary care clinics in Laramie, Casper and Cheyenne.

 

With more than 1,600 undergraduate, graduate and professional students, the college is dedicated to training the health and wellness workforce of Wyoming and conducting high-quality research and community engagement, with a particular focus on rural and frontier populations.