Wayne Anderson, M.D.

Wayne Anderson, M.D. ’80, clinical professor of surgery, Williston, is one of the first graduates of UND’s surgery residency program

Residents do tend to stay fairly close to the programs they train in,” says Wayne Anderson, M.D. ’80 (Surgery Residency ’86), clinical professor of surgery in Williston and one of the first graduates of the UND surgery program.  Providing residency training in-state “gives us a better chance of retaining physicians in North Dakota.”   

Graduates of UND’s residency programs “are uniquely qualified to deal with the kinds of problems that patients in rural areas experience,” says the general surgeon who’s been practicing in Williston for many years.

He’s an example, having established his practice in-state after earning the M.D. degree at UND and completing general surgery training in UND’s residency program.  After receiving his education and training in two of the state’s larger cities, Grand Forks and Fargo, he was ready to return to what he prefers: a smaller community.    

“I knew I wasn’t a city kid,” says Anderson who’s now practicing “as close to home as I can get”.  Home is Westby, MT, about 70 miles west of Williston.

And he thoroughly enjoys the chance to teach third-year medical students who come to Williston for the Rural Opportunities in Medical Education (ROME) program, he says.  “It’s good that I’ve been able to maintain my ties with the UND medical school.  It’s a great opportunity for me to teach ROME students when they come to Williston.  Certainly just having students around is really fun.  They do challenge us a it, but that’s good.  It’s a good review.

“They are very enthusiastic, very energetic; they want to learn, and they’ve got a lot of ‘get up and go,’” he comments.  “It’s like watching your kids grow – they’ve got the whole world out there before them.  They want to be involved in everything – OB, surgery, family medicine.

“Sometimes we have to reign them in a bit, and say ‘hold the phone, you’ve got to take time to do the reading too,’” he says.  “It’s a great enjoyment for me.”

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