An educational affiliation with UNMC has, in part, helped the men and women of the 55th Medical Group at Offutt Air Force Base earn two Air Force level awards.
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The Ehrling Bergquist Clinic was recognized with the 2012 Air Force Surgeon General Award for Best Clinic, and the dental clinic was named the 2012 Air Force Medical Service Best Large Dental Clinic.
“We’re proud of their achievements,” said Michael Sitorius, M.D., chairman and professor of family medicine at UNMC. “It’s been a positive long-term relationship and their award reflects nicely on our educational affiliation.”
Since 1992, UNMC has partnered with the U.S. Air Force at Offutt Air Force Base to provide a three-year residency-training program in family medicine. The UNMC program is the second largest family medicine residency program in the nation, with 150 military physicians having completed the program.
It also is one of the longest standing civilian-military integrated residency programs in the country, Dr. Sitorius said.
Col. Stephen Mounts, 55th MDG commander, said the clinic’s success stems, in part, from its education and training programs and its strategic partnerships with several high-quality health care organizations in the surrounding community.
“Although Ehrling Bergquist is now an outpatient clinic, it remains a hub of medical and dental professional training for the Air Force,” Mounts said.
The clinic hosts a family medicine residency, which is integrated with UNMC. The dental clinic also supports the Air Force’s largest single-site dental residency, which graduates eight residents every year.
“We also have a physician assistant training program, which also is part of the DoD (Department of Defense) training program in partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center,” Mounts said. “We graduate two to four graduates a year out of that program. In addition, we also conduct radiology and laboratory technician phase two training for our enlisted members. Our education and training programs are very successful and serve as a bridge to our downtown partnerships.”