Thank you for your interest in The University of South Florida-Morton Plant Mease (USF/MPM) Family Medicine Residency Program. This is a fantastic time to be in Family Medicine, and we are so excited that you’ve chosen this path. Our residency aims to create compassionate, innovative, full-spectrum Family Medicine physicians by fostering individual experiences that will allow you to thrive in your future practice.  As an unopposed program affiliated with a large non-profit organization in BayCare and an academic affiliation with the University of South Florida (USF), we provide a foundation for residents to pursue a variety of paths, as evidenced by the diverse job positions held by our graduates. We pride ourselves in being one of the oldest residency programs in the area, which has allowed us to create deep roots within our community and in consequence better provide you with the opportunities and resources you need to achieve your goals. Through our core curriculum, versatile elective opportunities, extracurricular tracks, and nationally recognized academic and community faculty, at the USF MPM Family Medicine Residency Program you will train to become the family medicine physician you want to be.  

Being an unopposed program allows us to provide one-on-one teaching with outstanding faculty both at our flagship hospital, Morton Plant Mease, and at our continuity clinic, the Turley Family Health Center, as well as all our other community clinics.  Our elective opportunities include a myriad of rotations, many of which have been developed by previous residents. If you have a passion our program will allow you to create an elective that suits your future career goals.  

We have a variety of tracks including Wilderness Medicine, Integrative Medicine, and Obstetrics. We also have informal tracks focusing on Leadership in Medicine, LGBTQ health and Advocacy, sports medicine, practice management, academic medicine, mental health, and weight loss medicine.  In Wilderness Medicine, residents become certified in Advanced Wilderness Life Support, with common topics including lightning, dive, mountain, animal bite, toxicology, rescue, and wound medicine. In Integrative Medicine, the curriculum focuses on adjunctive medical therapies such as supplements, diets, and holistic medicine. The Obstetrics track is designed for a resident to get experience in vaginal deliveries, C-sections, and outpatient obstetric care to prepare them for application for fellowship or full spectrum practice at the time of graduation. Our other informal tracks are built into the curriculum, but those with particular interest have opportunities to get additional experience. Although Hospital medicine does not have a track or informal designation, we receive exceptional training under the direct supervision of critical care pulmonologists on our teaching hospital medicine service and many of our residents go into hospital medicine. We are also fully funded for and working on the development of a brand-new Teaching Kitchen and a Prescribed Exercise Program with in-site physical trainers for our patients, which highlights our commitment to and the opportunities for training in lifestyle medicine. 

In addition to our tracks, we have integrated point-of-care ultrasound technology into our clinical learning though a variety of didactics and hands-on learning, with additional learning and teaching opportunities at USF ultrasound symposiums and boot camps. Our program also provides training in telemedicine, ultrasound-guided musculoskeletal injections, casting and splinting, dermatologic procedures, and women’s health procedures like IUD/Nexplanon placement and colposcopies. There is also the opportunity to learn inpatient procedures such as central line placement, rapid sequence intubation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, paracentesis, and thoracentesis.   

Finally, residents not only come to our residency program to obtain an incredible education, they come here to enjoy all that the Tampa Bay area has to offer. With the proximity of Clearwater to both Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg, it is easy for residents to enjoy a wide variety of activities. Here, we spend weekends in the sun at the stunning Clearwater Beach, which continues to be ranked one of the top beaches in the United States by TripAdvisor. Several of the bicycling and running enthusiasts within the program ride to work along the 38-mile long Pinellas Trail. Sports enthusiasts will enjoy our local sports teams such as the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning, the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the MLB Tampa Bay Rays, and the Tampa Bay Rowdies soccer team. The Tampa Bay area boasts stunning food, music, festivals, and art. Although there is plenty to keep us occupied on this side of the coast, the Orlando theme parks are only a 2-hour drive away, not to mention our local theme park Busch Gardens in Tampa. Sign up for some extra moonlighting shifts and you can earn some extra cash to enjoy Tampa Bay to the fullest! 

Thank you again for considering us in your journey to becoming a family physician. We consider our residency to be one of the best. We believe that our residency program provides a rare work-life balance, all while providing a custom-tailored curriculum to suit our individual goals and aspirations. As chiefs, we are committed to our residents’ wellness and success, as well as to maintaining the family-like culture our program has nurtured for so many years. We hope that our program meets both your professional and personal needs. At the USF-MPM Family Medicine Residency Program, we will help you unlock your potential and become the best family medicine physician you can be! 

Sincerely, 

Brad Bindas, MD 

Leticia Cardoso, MD