Name: Joshua Laurila, DO
Medical school you attended/year you graduated: Des Moines University/2016
Residency/fellowship at UNMC: Family medicine
Program director: Kim Jarzynka, MD
How long is your training program and how long have you been at UNMC:
Three years total, finishing my 2nd year at UNMC.
What do you like the most about your training program:
We have a very family friendly program. Lots of our residents have children, myself included. I also like that we have two hospital services, one at the main med center campus and another at Bellevue, so we get to see a lot of complicated pathology at UNMC and then also work at a community-style hospital.
In regards to family medicine in general, I really enjoy the variety of patients we get to see. In the same morning, I might see an 80-year-old following up for heart failure, a healthy 3-year-old for a well-child visit, and then do a skin biopsy.
What challenges do you foresee in graduate medical education in the future:
Oh boy, I think there are quite a few. Some big ones I foresee:
— government funding for resident spots;
— resident well-being balanced with gaining enough experience; and
— continuing to understand our role as leaders in the changing landscape of medicine.
List some accomplishments that you are proud of:
1. Being nominated to be one of the two chief residents of our program.
2. Balancing life as a resident, dad, and husband (a continuing work in progress!).
Tell us three things about you that others may not know:
1. I am one of two Dr. Laurilas at UNMC. My wife, Mackenzie, is an anesthesia resident. We have an 8-month-old son, Henry, and a 2-year-old Boston Terrier, Lilly.
2. I am a huge LEGO and Star Wars nerd (you can imagine my excitement when those two things combined back in 1999).
3. I love grilling – it is a year-round activity for me, regardless of weather. My specialty is steak.