Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago

Family Medicine Residency

Founded in 1868, Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago is one of the city's oldest hospitals, and its family medicine program is one of the oldest in the nation as well. Residents in the family medicine program work with cutting-edge diagnostic and therapeutic equipment in a curriculum that emphasizes behavioral science and community medicine.
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Welcome from the director

Thank you for your interest in the Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago Family Medicine Residency Program, affiliated with The University of Illinois College of Medicine. Our goal is to provide you with the skills, knowledge and residency experience that will prepare you for a lifetime of comprehensive service to your patients and their families.

At Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago, we have a longstanding history of superior residency training as evidenced by our tradition of success in the National Residency Matching Program, our graduates' success on American Board of Family medicine (ABFM) certification exams and continuous program accreditation for more than 35 years from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). In addition, we hold an esteemed track record of excellence in patient care and are ranked among the Top 5% of U.S. hospitals for overall clinical quality.

Founded in 1868, Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago is one of the oldest hospitals in the city, and with our Family Medicine Residency Program established in 1972, we are one of the oldest family medicine departments in the Chicagoland area as well as the nation. We take pride in the excellent rapport we maintain with the medical community and with the number of graduates we have practicing in the Chicago area and nearby communities.

Located in an academic community hospital in the heart of Chicago, we are able to offer our residents an exceptionally diverse and well-rounded training experience. From treating the most complicated patient conditions to providing evidence-based preventive medicine to patients and families, we are fortunate to treat a patient population with a true breadth of diversity in cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. We offer a balance in medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, geriatrics and emergency medicine, with a strong faculty fully dedicated to resident education.

Our residents are truly your best source of information and our greatest asset. Please send us an email, give us a phone call or plan a visit to see firsthand why we are so enthusiastic about our program and its future.

We wish you the best of luck as you complete your medical school education and move forward into residency training.

Alyssa Jeanne Vest Hart, DO, FAAFP
Family Medicine Program Director

Why choose us?

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The Family Medicine Residency Program at Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago sets itself apart in one of the nation's top-ranked hospitals.

Location, location, location

There are few cities in the world like Chicago, and no neighborhood quite like Lincoln Park. Tucked along Lake Michigan just north of the Loop (the downtown area), Lincoln Park represents the best of the city. Quiet residential streets lined with historic brownstones are just around the corner from some of the city's most popular restaurants, theaters, bars and clubs.

Along the eastern edge of the neighborhood is the park itself, a stretch of bike trails, nature preserves, golf ranges and softball fields that connect the city to its marvelous lakefront beaches.

In the middle of it all stands Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago — serving the Lincoln Park/Lakeview community for over 135 years. Magnificent Lake Michigan and Belmont Harbor are in Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago's "front yard." Many of our residents live within walking distance of the hospital — we are in the perfect location to take advantage of all of the shopping, dining, cultural and outdoor recreational opportunities that our great city has to offer!

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Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago is just steps from the lake
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Ascension Medical Group Illinois Primary Care Chicago is in the heart of Lincoln Park, a short bike ride from the hospital

Patient population

No other program in the Chicagoland serves a more diverse patient population. Residents at Ascension Medical Group Illinois Primary Care Chicago see patients of all ages and from all walks of life and financial backgrounds. This truly unique patient population affords our residents a well-rounded training experience.
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Residents taking a break in Ascension Medical Group Illinois Primary Care Chicago's outdoor courtyard

Autonomy

Ascension Medical Group Illinois Primary Care Chicago is an outpatient training experience like no other. You'll follow your own panel of families for three years. You might deliver their babies, admit their parents to nursing homes and, if necessary, assist in your patients' surgeries. If they are seriously ill, you'll admit them to the inpatient family medicine residency team at Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago where you can be involved in their care. These patients think of you as "their doctor" and they will ask for you by name when they make an appointment.

Far from a "resident clinic," Seton functions like an 18-doctor group practice whose members cover for one another on weekends and for vacations. Overseeing your outpatient training are our faculty preceptors, who offer management suggestions in the peer-based, collegial atmosphere of the Doctor's Library. The library is the workspace shared by the core faculty and residents alike and encourages a collaborative learning environment. Established in 1980, Ascension Medical Group Illinois Primary Care Chicago remains a longstanding pillar of the Lincoln Park community.

Life as a resident

Our residents are the heart of the Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago Family Medicine Residency Program. And once you have the opportunity to meet them, you will certainly see why. Our program truly feels like family.

Each June, we are delighted to welcome a class of six new interns, with a total of 18 residents in the program. Each resident is assigned a dedicated faculty advisor to help mentor and guide him or her throughout their three years of training and beyond.

Giving back to our community

Residents and faculty make time to give back to the community, and in Chicago, there are always opportunities. Together, we participate in regular monthly volunteer service at CommunityHealth, originally founded in 1993 by Dr. Serafino Garello, then-chairman of The Department of Medicine at Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago. CommunityHealth is dedicated to serving the uninsured and underinsured in Chicago and surrounding communities and is now the largest volunteer-based free medical facility in the nation.

Residents and faculty volunteer for the annual WGN Back to School Fair, various citywide sporting events and as providers on the medical team servicing the homeless population of Chicago.

A family that plays together…

We work very closely with our medical staff, our medical assistants, nurses and staff to make our lives easier in-clinic and more fun outside of clinic! Even as residents, we make sure to take time to celebrate the holidays with our residency family.

Work-life balance

Our Resident Wellness Committee works hard to make sure that our residents and faculty achieve a healthy work-life balance. Two to three wellness events are planned each month and include activities such as physical activity and exercise, mental well-being activities and social outings — and we never miss an opportunity for a group potluck!

And did we mention Chicago?

Living in Chicago also has its perks when it comes to resident wellness… and they go beyond the amazing food scene, which you'll get to experience when seniors treat you to dinner on night shift and when Dr. Faulkner takes you out for a monthly intern lunch.

Home to some of the world's most acclaimed museums and restaurants, famed architecture, legendary blues and lavish shopping, as well as amazing outdoor recreational and sporting activities, Chicago is the perfect city. Whether you plan to spend three years here or a lifetime, we have so much to offer!