Mission and Vision

A Luminous Vision

Alaska Family Medicine Residency’s purpose is to help residents become…
Physicians fulfilled through their investment in their patients and communities, proud to provide the best care to all their patients, and committed to a lifelong career of service and learning.

We answer our residents’ call to…
Guide me. Challenge me. Trust me to serve.

We welcome…
All students who have an interest in rural, full-scope practice with culturally diverse and underserved patients, and are drawn to working in a limited resource environment.

Our program takes advantage of…
The challenging and diverse cultural and physical environment of Alaska to teach residents necessary knowledge and skills for full scope family medicine. Rural Alaska is the venue for personal and professional fulfillment through a lifelong career of compassionate service to individuals and community.

Our Faculty…
Honor the commitment of our residents to full scope practice, professionalism, and service with compassion. Brought together through a desire to teach and a vision of family medicine as the pre-eminent medical specialty, faculty work continuously to learn and grow. AKFMR faculty hold themselves to the same high standards that are set for the residents, within a supportive, creative, and fun learning atmosphere.

Graduates…
Are trained to be competent to work in isolated low-resource environments using a solid foundation of medical knowledge, diverse skills, and thorough understanding of the healthcare system and community needs.

History

Alaska was the last state in the United States to have a residency program. There is only one residency program in Alaska – the Alaska Family Medicine Residency (AKFMR). It was developed in the 1990s by a consortium of state leaders with the intent to train family physicians for the unique aspects of practice in the most remote parts of the state; AKFMR has been affiliated with the University of Washington since its inception.  AKFMR provides rigorous training to help prepare our residents to practice in any challenging setting, but particularly rural settings.  Residents receive extra training in rural settings, emergency medicine, orthopedics, obstetrics, pediatrics, neonatal intensive care, and trans-cultural medicine to prepare them for the unique challenges of bush practice.