Curriculum

Under the direction of Dr. Sapna Kuehl and Dr. Maria Del Pilar Morales, a multidisciplinary interactive longitudinal curriculum is integrated throughout the medical residency training to provide a thorough exposure to the basics of quality improvement and patient safety (QIPS).

Ascension Saint Agnes residents are actively involved in quality improvement (QI) projects both in the inpatient and outpatient settings. In the continuity clinic all residents develop individual projects which they carry out under the instruction of the outpatient APD Dr. Deborah Som. All PGY2 and PGY3 residents rotate through a 2 week administrative rotation focused on providing them with the fundamentals of QI and the skills necessary to incorporate systems-based practice and practice-based learning into their clinical experience. During this time, they get the opportunity to work with various departments in our hospital and attend QI meetings at an institutional level.

Monthly resident administrative meetings conducted by the chief residents, in the presence of faculty and nursing leadership are a forum in which a multidisciplinary effort is placed in ensuring reflection on current performance data and discussion of feasible solutions. Peer review conferences are regularly conducted with an emphasis on analysis and reflection on medical errors and near misses. An exciting cost-conscious care curriculum, modeled after the ACP’s curriculum, has also been integrated in our resident didactic conferences.

Furthermore, our residents are actively involved in various institutional committees including Infection Control, Graduate Medical Education and Quality Improvement committees. A QIPS elective is also available to residents as an opportunity to better understand the QI infrastructure of our facility and for developing individual projects under the guidance of a faculty mentor.

In addition, PGY1 and PGY2 retreats are conducted every spring to prepare residents for transitioning to their next year of training. A half day workshop is provided with emphasis on effective communication skills, constructive feedback and leadership strategies essential for their career development.

We have also implemented the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) open school courses in our curriculum, where our residents complete the IHI basic certification during their training. We are currently an active IHI Chapter with plans on collaborating with local and regional chapters on future projects and have our own chapter website. If you are interested in learning more about the IHI – Ascension Saint  Agnes Hospital Chapter please click here.

Ascension Saint Agnes Internal Medicine has a comprehensive educational curriculum with daily morning and noon conferences. An audience response system is frequently utilized to facilitate learning and active engagement of residents.

Teaching rounds are held daily, usually conducted by the service attending physician, but rarely are held by faculty subspecialists or other guest educators. Rounds offer a variety of learning experiences, including bedside presentations, literature review of selected core clinical issues, complex inpatient care and in-depth topic presentations.  In addition to the weekly conferences listed above, there are many educational activities scheduled throughout the academic year. These include: 

• Rising PGY1 Workshop: A comprehensive course designed to prepare residents for their roles as teachers and team managers.
• Rising  PGY2  Workshop:  A course designed to provide additional education and help prepare residents for senior year, including handling difficult conversations and personal finance basics.
• Board Review Course: A week of day-long sessions designed to help third year residents prepare for board exams.
• Fellowship Workshop:  A workshop tailored to provide guidance to residents as they are making educational and career choices and mentorship for interviews and application preparations.