Curriculum

We aim to train and graduate outstanding family physicians that will continue to care for our surrounding community. We will provide an atmosphere of academic excellence, promote lifelong learning and support the needs of each learner. We endeavor to develop future leaders in healthcare that will contribute to the growth of the profession through mentoring, advocacy, and teaching. We will actively develop and promote lifestyle skills to support the wellness of our physicians throughout their careers.

First-year rotations

Emphasis in the first year is on inpatient medicine with introduction to office medicine at Ascension Resurrection - Primary Care Chicago. Hospital-based rotations (in months) include:

  • 1-2 half-days of outpatient office hours per week
  • 3 general internal medicine
  • 1 intensive care unit (ICU)
  • 1 pediatrics
  • 1 obstetrics
  • 1 gynecology
  • 1 general surgery
  • 1 outpatient surgery
  • 1 emergency medicine
  • 1 geriatrics
  • 1 gastroenterology/endoscopy

Second-year rotations

Emphasis in the second year is on subspecialty medicine with continued growth of office and outpatient medicine concepts. Hospital-based rotations (in months) include:

  • 3 half-days of outpatient office hours per week
  • 2 general internal medicine
  • 1 infectious disease
  • 1 intensive care unit (ICU)
  • 1 cardiology
  • 1 pediatrics Emergency Department (ED)
  • 1 pulmonary medicine
  • 1 psychiatry
  • 1 ambulatory/practice management
  • 1 orthopedics
  • 1 obstetrics
  • 1 intersession
  • 1 elective

Third-year rotations

Emphasis in the third year is on outpatient medicine subspecialties and primary care. Time is allowed for electives of your choice to concentrate or expand your knowledge. Hospital-based rotations (in months) include:

  • 4 half-days of outpatient office hours per week
  • 2 general internal medicine
  • 1 ambulatory/dermatology/neurology
  • 1 outpatient pediatrics
  • 1 emergency medicine
  • 1 outpatient surgery/urology
  • 1 otolaryngology/ophthalmology
  • 1 orthopedics/sports medicine
  • 1 intersession
  • 3 elective

Additional educational opportunities

Didactic conferences

Didactics are scheduled Tuesday mornings in a protected time when the office is closed and when the faculty and residents are available. The Tuesday conferences consist of several series of lectures, including:

  • Dermatology
  • Obstetrics and gynecology
  • Sports medicine
  • Ethics
  • Journal Club
  • Geriatrics
  • Hospice
  • Radiology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Cardiology & electrocardiography
  • Infectious disease
  • Wellness
  • Oncology
  • Morbidity & mortality
  • Podiatry
  • Pediatrics
  • Practice management
  • Tumor Board
  • Ophthalmology
  • Ear, nose and throat (ENT)
  • Personal finance

The program also offers continuing longitudinal exposures in the following topics:

  • Behavioral medicine
  • Wellness
  • Sports medicine
  • Medical staff committees
  • Geriatrics
  • Internet curriculum elements
  • Community health initiatives & education
  • Cancer screening initiatives
  • Medical support for Free Clinic
  • Practice management
  • Journal Club/evidence-based medicine

Hands-on training workshops

  • Shave biopsy/punch biopsy
  • Cryotherapy/skin tag removal
  • Laceration repair/suture removal
  • Knee injection
  • Upper extremity injection (shoulder or trigger finger)
  • Pap/pelvic/clinical breast exam
  • Male genital exam
  • Cerumen irrigation/curettage
  • Spirometry
  • Peak flow
  • Obstetric deliveries
  • Lab testing (Wet mount, KOH, Rapid strep, Hemoccult, Urine dip, Accu-Chek, EKG)
  • Fluorescein ophthalmologic exam
  • Circumcision (assist or perform)
  • Splinting/casting
  • Osteopathic manipulation
  • Colposcopy

Behavioral medicine

Our faculty includes a full-time clinical psychologist who teaches behavioral science. She provides coaching on doctor-patient communication skills, clinical consultation for complex patient care, and teaching mental health evaluations and best clinical practice in managing behavioral health issues in primary care. Our goal is to integrate behavioral medicine into our wholistic patient healthcare. The behavioral medicine curriculum includes didactics on mental health evaluation and treatments, advanced clinical interviewing skills such as motivational interviewing, delivering bad news, shared decision-making and managing emotionally charged encounters. Residents also participate in support groups, de-briefing with complex cases and wellness activities. Behavioral health consultants are integrated into the clinic setting and offer collaborative co-counseling with residents. Residents have a 4-week rotation in behavioral and community medicine rotation during their second year. This training includes clinical psychopharmacology, medically assisted treatments for substance use, family and social systems in healthcare, teamwork dynamics, physician self-awareness and advanced communication skills. The Behavioral Science faculty facilitates wellness activities, quality improvement activities, retreats, and well-being withing the residency program.

Geriatrics

Working directly with a board-certified geriatrician, our longitudinal geriatric experience includes nursing home rounds and management of the older patient. We have a primary nursing home across the street, as well as longitudinal experiences in a nursing home in an adjacent suburb. The geriatric rotation during first year provides experience with inpatient palliative care, inpatient hospice, field visits with hospice nurses and weekly palliative and/or hospice lectures on various topics.

Other important continuity exposures include:

  • Free Clinic experience
  • Practice management exposures
  • Nursing home continuity experience
  • Home visit experience
  • Journal club/evidence-based medicine
  • Cancer screening initiatives
  • Community health initiatives
  • Internet curriculum events
  • Medical staff committees

Osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM)

The program’s ongoing longitudinal Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) curriculum involves on-site OMM lab sessions every other month, along with a regularly scheduled osteopathic Journal Club. OMM use is encouraged in continuity clinics and each resident's progress is monitored throughout the duration of the three-year program. In this setting, integration of OMM principles into standard family medicine practice is emphasized.

Sports medicine

In partnership with our Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship, residents gain training in sports medicine through a variety of experiences. The learner will spend time with our sports medicine faculty both in and out of the hospital setting. These opportunities include outpatient sports medicine clinic, formal lectures, Journal Club, high school and college athletic training rooms, sideline team sports coverage and provide medical care for mass participation events.