Curriculum

Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago family medicine residents spend three years building their patient panel at Ascension Medical Group Illinois Primary Care Chicago, located at 711 W. North Ave. It is located near two stops on the "L" train, two main bus stops and has parking for patients. This location brings patients from all over Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Patients truly identify the resident as their doctor and they build a relationship over the course of their tenure.

During the first year, residents spend 1–2 half-days per week in Ascension Medical Group Illinois Primary Care Chicago. Residents spend 3–4 half-days during the second year, and 4–5 half days during the third year.

Behavioral Science is longitudinally integrated throughout the residency, including a one-month intensive behavioral and community medicine rotation. This rotation is dedicated to skill building in the assessment and treatment of mental health and substance abuse issues, crisis intervention and outpatient psychotherapy with children, adolescents, adults and families. Residents participate as co-therapists in Counseling Clinic where they become adept at providing evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) along with motivational interviewing. They work in our Harborview Recovery Center practicing addiction medicine. Additionally, they participate in our intensive outpatient psychiatry program, go on home visits with faculty and learn crisis intervention skills with the crisis/psyc team in the Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago Emergency Department.

A number of elective experiences are available for residents, depending on personal interests and career goals. For most, emphasis is placed on practical office application while some review basic procedures of a given medical discipline.

Three hours of protected academic time are set aside each week on Wednesdays from 1 to 5 pm. Attendance is mandatory for all family medicine residents. All family medicine residents are excused from their electives and other rotations outside the department so that they may attend the didactic training sessions. Those on vacation and post-call are excused.

Our teaching comes from an evidence-based approach both in the inpatient and outpatient setting. Each resident will participate in a quality improvement project and scholarly activities during their time as a resident.

Strong pediatric training is yet another unique strength of our program. Three board-certified pediatricians are members of our departmental faculty, offering a comprehensive pediatric expertise academically and clinically to our residency education, an invaluable asset not offered by many programs. Our institution does not include a pediatric residency program; as such, our family medicine residents are actively involved in newborn inpatient care as well as at Laboure Clinic, our largely underserved outpatient pediatric clinic. Additionally, our residents participate in a pediatric emergency medicine rotation and an inpatient pediatric rotation at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

At heart, Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago is still the community hospital its founders envisioned in 1868, where primary care doctors still function as the quarterbacks of patient care, with a highly talented group of specialists to enlist when necessary. Our inpatient family medicine teaching service consists of members of the Department of Family Medicine in addition to hospitalists. Patients are admitted, followed by and discharged back to the care of their family physicians. The senior and junior residents on service are all family medicine residents. At Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago, you will learn inpatient care from the same physicians who teach you outpatient care — our own faculty who firmly believe in the family-centered approach to healing.