Why Choose Us

Check out these videos:

• What Makes UAMS So Special? (Listen to residents, including 2023 Family Medicine graduate John Ukadike, talking about what UAMS means to them.)
• Why Choose UAMS?
• Little Rock Travel Ideas
• Download an at-a-glance flyer (PDF).

There are many hyperlinks below that you can click on for additional information about the UAMS Little Rock Family Medicine residency program.  You can enjoy a more informal look at our program through Facebook.

1. A proven track record of success. Our program has been here more than 50 years, and we have hundreds of successful graduates working in many different settings — inpatient, outpatient, urban, rural, academic, and just about anything you can think of.
2. Superior teaching: The interdisciplinary teamwork and learning opportunities offered by departmental faculty and expert specialists are found only at a university-based program in the population center of the state. “If you want an education, go where the educators are!” We even have a full-time educator on the Family Medicine faculty, not to mention our department’s Research and Evaluation Division and CHE (Community Health and Education). In 2019 and 2020, the UAMS Medical Center was recognized nationally as the best hospital in Arkansas.
3. Continuous improvements: Lauren Gibson-Oliver M.D., MBA, FAAFP, our program director, was named a UAMS Phenomenal Woman in 2023 and a Top Doc by Little Rock Soirée in 2022 and 2023. She is an outstanding addition to our program, and also is one of our graduates. Shashank Kraleti M.D., FAAFP – our award-winning chair – has received national recognition for his ability to improve every aspect of the training we offer, on an ongoing basis.
4. Procedures:  We offer “procedures only” clinics where you can gain valuable experience. Besides the procedures you perform in the FMC and on our FM wards service, you will learn and perform many procedures on your rotations.
5. Moonlighting:  After you pass Step 3 or Level 3 and have obtained an Arkansas license, you may petition the program director for permission to moonlight. There are requirements to meet (e.g., duty hours, being academically on track, etc.), but moonlighting certainly is a possibility.
6. FM wards service: You will spend six months on our busy wards service in the UAMS Medical Center, where you are supervised by FM hospitalists.
7. Emergency medicine: You are assigned to two block months in the UAMS ED (the only Adult Level 1 Trauma Center in Arkansas), and you work shifts in the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Emergency Department. In addition, you have six elective months that you can use (some or all) to gain more ER experience.
8. Sports medicine: Be ready for extensive musculoskeletal/sports medicine training.
9. Lifestyle medicine: Our residents participate in the American College of Lifestyle Medicine curriculum. By the time they are ready to graduate, they will be eligible to seek board certification in Lifestyle Medicine.
10. Pediatrics: Our pediatrics rotations include a block month of outpatient pediatrics, a block month of peds wards – both at Arkansas Children’s Hospital – and a longitudinal peds rotation that runs throughout PGY-2 and PGY-3. In addition to that, you will have your own pediatrics patients in the Family Medical Center (FMC). The number is limited only by your imagination as you remind your patients who are parents that their children are welcome in your practice.
11. Wellness: Our resident-led wellness curriculum will help you to achieve the proper work/life balance. Whether it’s hiking, bowling, Dave & Buster’s, a picnic, a party, or just grabbing a meal together — our residents socialize and support each other both as colleagues and as friends. Our team has a family vibe that grows throughout the three years you are here and stays with you after you graduate. Check our Facebook page for photos of recent events.
12. Rural exposure: Our residents go on frequent retreats to rural areas of Arkansas to meet with family physicians who practice in small towns. These retreats are a mixture of relaxation and learning about the array of career opportunities in Family Medicine. You’ll find our graduates practicing in Arkansas towns like Newport, Nashville, England, Mountain View, Centerton, Scott, Gravette, and Greenbrier. Whether your focus is rural or urban, our program is ready to meet your needs.
13. Innovative training:  We provide constant refinement and improvement of our rotations — including a longitudinal pediatrics rotation, a customizable flex month with excellent procedures training, and more.
14. PCMH focus: You’ll receive first-rate training with your own patient panel in our Family Medical Center, which was the first clinic in Arkansas to be NCQA-recognized as a Level 3 (the highest level) Patient-Centered Medical Home. Our FMC houses social workers, pharmacists, and nutritionists on-site, for a truly interdisciplinary, patient-centered approach.
15. Electives:  Choose from a variety of established electives, along with the potential to develop electives to reflect your own interests.
16. Research:  We offer unique opportunities in teaching, research, and publication, including the option of a research elective based in our own department’s Research and Evaluation Division.  Check out our presentations and publications.  Our department has won a $3.29 million CDC grant to reduce obesity, increase physical activity, and improve nutrition in Arkansas, especially in the Delta region. We have also received a $4.66 million grant from HRSA to increase the number of primary care physicians in underserved communities in Arkansas, along with a $2.5 million grant from SAMHSA to support services for persons at high risk for HIV/viral hepatitis infection or transmission.
17. Cultural competence and underserved populations:  We also offer specialized training in cultural competence and serving underserved populations, including a curriculum in LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning) issues. You have many field trip opportunities, including to Arkansas CARES (Center for Addictions, Research, Education, and Services), Circle of Friends Health Clinic and the Westside Free Clinic (both for Hispanic patients), Harmony Health Clinic (for low-income patients), the Mexican Consulate, the Minority Health Commission, and many more, with an emphasis on organizations that offer care to underserved populations.
18. Recognized excellence:  We have received multiple commendations from the ACGME, and we have zero citations. In other words – our program is recognized nationally as being excellent.
19. Superior noon conferences:  We offer outstanding noon conferences and half-day blocks, with speakers from our department, our campus, and even from around the U.S.  The topics cover the span of medical knowledge essential for Family Medicine practitioners, including. Residents are encouraged to request topics and to recommend any excellent speakers they have met on their rotations. We also analyze in-training exam results to identify any areas of weakness. Then we schedule speakers to address those specific areas in subsequent noon conferences. In our university setting, there’s no problem in finding an expert on every issue imaginable.
20. EMR:  You will receive extensive experience in medical informatics and the use of the Electronic Medical Record. UAMS is frequently included on the list of “100 Most Wired Hospitals and Health Systems” for its use of technology. We use EPIC on our campus, and you learn other EMRs on your rotations.
21. Our residents:  We receive more than 2,000 applications each year from doctors who are eager to join our program. This means that the 18 residents in our program have demonstrated true excellence in order to stand out from the crowd.
22. Standardized patients:  More innovative learning opportunities are available with standardized patients in the UAMS Center for Clinical Skills. Do you need to improve your skills in performing pelvic exams? At our program, you can practice on standardized patients who are trained to give you feedback.
23. Location, location, location: Little Rock is the capital city — the seat of government — and the center of excitement. Our residents even get to make television appearances on occasion. (How cool is that?) In 2021, US News and World Report ranked Little Rock as one of the best places to live in the US. Whether you’re learning or relaxing, Little Rock is the place to be.
24. Excellent work environment:  In 2022, UAMS was named as the “Best Place to Work” on the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Best of the Best list.
25. Diversity:  Our residents and faculty (and patients!) come from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures. People often talk about diversity — but we live it!  As of July 2023, our residents come from the U.S. (e.g., Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas) and countries such as Argentina, Brazil, India, Mexico, and Nigeria.
26. Superior training sites:  Excellent rotations at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital, and Baptist Medical Center.
27. Fellowship opportunities at UAMS: See fellowship opportunities at the UAMS GME site for details. Learn about the new fellowship in Clinical Informatics.
28. Awesomeness:  UAMS is awesome!