UAB Medical Residents Join Health Services Team

The Oakwood University Department of Health and Counseling Services Clinic at 4920 University Square recently enlisted the services of family medicine residents from the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) School of Medicine – Huntsville Campus. “I contacted the director of UAB [Huntsville Family Medicine Residency Program], told him about Oakwood’s health center…and the need for more physicians to work at our clinic,” said Mavis Braxton, director of health and counseling services for Oakwood University. The director suggested the services of UAB medical residents.  Medical residents are those who have completed medical school and are continuing training in a medical specialty (e.g. internal medicine, surgery, etc.) before receiving board certification. In return for their service to Oakwood University Health and Counseling Services, these family medicine residents will receive credit for the community-based practice rotation of their training. Because this is a training opportunity for the family medicine residents, the Department of Health and Counseling Services is not required to pay for the service of the residents to Oakwood University students. “It is a win-win situation,” said Ms. Braxton. The residents began working in the Oakwood clinic on January 21, 2009.

“Last [school] year and last semester, if a student was ill on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, they had to be transported to a community clinic or the hospital,” Ms. Braxton said. Now, students can be seen by a doctor in the Oakwood Health and Counseling Services Clinic every day. Doctors can be seen in Health Services on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon.