FORT BENNING, Ga. –
Teacher, doctor and patient… back to student. Family Medicine Residency Faculty Physician Maj. Holly Crellin started teaching at Martin Army Community Hospital when she pcs’d in August 2018. By accepting the renowned Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center (CRDAMC) Family Medicine Obstetrics Fellowship at Fort Hood, she will once again be hitting the books.
The Graduate Medical Education Program’s year-long OB fellowship starts July 1st. It’s no walk in the park, especially at the Texas post with the highest baby delivery rate in the Army. The training will require demanding 60-80 hour weeks filled with evidence-based didactics and hands-on care in a patient rich environment on a large and diverse medical campus.
Focusing almost exclusively on obstetrics for the year will teach Crellin the in-depth, concentrated skills necessary to continue providing world-class compassionate healthcare to Military beneficiaries. “What residency taught me is the basics of OB care for patients; so clinic, prenatal care, labor and delivery, that kind of thing,” explained Crellin. “For me, one of the things I’m going to get out of the fellowship is C-section credentialing.”
“The goal for anyone who does this fellowship would either be to go to a rural area that needs them,” said Crellin. “These are places like Alaska where they just don’t have enough ObGyns.
“Or Fort Polk or some of those places where they need someone who can kind of be that Swiss Army Knife to fill in wherever they are needed. Whether that’s in the family medicine clinic, the inpatient service, or really the obstetrician… that solid OB provider who can do surgeries.”
Another option for a fellowship graduate would be to return to a training program and work closely with residents, teaching them with a renewed focus on obstetrics. “My favorite part is when you are talking to a resident or medical student and they all of a sudden have that a-ha moment where they just get it,” shared Crellin. “Especially if it’s been a learner who has been struggling, when they start to understand the material. All you have to do is guide them. It’s really nice to see that progression.”
Crellin and her husband, Gynecologic Surgeon Maj. Christopher Crellin, have really enjoyed their time at Fort Benning. That’s high praise coming from a couple who has been stationed in Hawaii. “As a staff member teaching and as a physician providing care, and then also on the other side of things as a patient I had my baby here a little over a year ago,” said Crellin. “The facilities are really stellar, the physicians really care about their patients in providing up to date quality care, as do our nurses. I’m glad for the experience of having worked here and starting to solidify my basic skills in obstetrics. I’m really excited to move on to the next stage.”