Stepping Up To The Plate: Understanding Residency Training and What it Means For Your Care
Have you ever found yourself sitting in the exam room expecting to see your usual physician––only for a different resident physician to knock and step inside? It can catch you off guard, especially if you weren’t expecting a change.
At teaching clinics like Lincoln Family Medicine Center, this experience is a normal and important part of how care is delivered. It often raises the question: What exactly is a resident physician, and what does that mean for my care?
What Is a Residency Program
The Lincoln Family Medicine Residency Program is a three-year, post-graduate training program designed for physicians who have completed medical school and are continuing to refine their skills in full-scope family medicine. Based at Lincoln Family Medicine Center (LFMC) and supported by Lincoln Medical Education Partnership, the program brings together a diverse group of resident physicians from across the country.
Each year, eight new residents join the program to gain hands-on experience caring for patients of all ages while working closely with experienced faculty physicians. Throughout the three years, residents balance direct patient care with ongoing education, using evidence-based practices while developing meaningful relationships with patients.
Addressing a Patient Concern
When the Patient & Family Advisory Council began in April of 2024, one of the first concerns the group identified was how to explain to potential new patients what a residency program is and how it may impact their care.
“Due to the training requirements of a residency program, it is not always possible for a patient to see the same physician at each appointment,” said Abbe Edgecombe, Compliance Officer and coordinator of the LFMC Patient & Family Advisory Council. “The purpose of this project is to convey the benefits of being assigned to a resident physician for their care.”
The Advisory Council recognized a clear need to better communicate the role of resident physicians––not only in terms of continuity of care, but also the emotional experience patients may have when seeing multiple providers. Developing a communication tool became a meaningful way to help patients better understand how care is delivered in a teaching clinic.
Creating a Communication Tool
Kelly Madcharo, the Compliance Officer at the time and now retired, reached out to Stacy Asher, Associate Professor in the School of Art, Art History & Design at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. From early discussions, Professor Asher recognized the real-world experience this project would offer her students and incorporated it into her Advanced Graphic Design curriculum in Spring 2025.
Working from a script developed by Advisory Council member Nan Kaye-Skinner, six teams of students workshopped ideas and presented their concepts to the council in May 2025. Stepping Up To The Plate was selected, and team members Molly Sorensen and Ellie Maxwell finalized the project.
“At its core, this project is about making healthcare feel more understandable and more connected,” said Dr. Sabrina Cerny, Program Director at the Lincoln Family Medicine Residency Program.
Using a baseball theme and visual storytelling, Stepping Up To The Plate follows three resident physicians, from their journey to going to medical school, to their arrival in Lincoln for residency training, to their role in caring for patients at the clinic. The story highlights how physicians work together as a team, even when they aren’t able to see the same patients every time, and the trust they place in one another to provide exceptional care.
It also emphasizes the balance between fresh academic knowledge that resident physicians bring from medical school and the years of experience faculty physicians contribute through daily mentorship.
A Storytelling Collaboration
“We are grateful for the collaboration between UNL and our Residency Program, two great academic institutions in Lincoln,” added Dr. Cerny. “Professor Asher’s commitment to this project and her willingness to incorporate it into the class curriculum made it possible for us to offer this educational piece. She and her students voluntarily contributed their time and talents to develop a colorful, welcoming booklet that will help new patients better understand how resident physicians are involved in their care.”
The Residents’ Story is designed to improve the patient experience and build trust in the care they receive. A digital version of the booklet is available on waiting room monitors, the clinic’s website, and across social media channels. The project is available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese to ensure accessibility for a diverse patient population. Click below to view the digital book:
Lincoln Medical Education Partnership’s missionis to provide exemplary patient healthcare and the additional resources that individuals need for successful and sustainable health. The organization is dedicated to educating medical residents to provide full-scope family healthcare.