Curriculum
Our curriculum will constantly evolve with input from the residents. Together as a group, faculty and residents will review the curriculum in depth annually.
We aim to improve our training experiences to meet the future needs of our residents and their patients, using the widening circle of resources that become available to us.
Your first year in the Program consists of 13 four-week blocks. They are divided up as follows:
- Family Medicine Intensive Orientation (1 block)
- Family Medicine Inpatient Service (4 blocks)
- Newborn (0.5 block)
- Night Float (0.5 block)
- Obstetrics at Emanate Health Queen of the Valley Hospital (1 block)
- Pediatrics, Inpatient (2 blocks)
- Pediatrics, Outpatient (1 block)
- Surgery, Inpatient (1 block)
- Gynecology (1 Block)
- Vacation (1 block divided into 2 two-week segments)
Your second year in the Program consists of 13 four-week blocks. They are divided up as follows:
- Family Medicine Intensive (0.75 block)
- Family Medicine Inpatient Service (2.5 blocks)
- Night Float (1.25 blocks divided into one week and into two 2-week segments)
- Psychiatry/Addiction Medicine (including buprenorphine training) (1 block)
- Emergency Medicine (1 block)
- Obstetrics (1 block)
- Pediatrics, Outpatient (1 block)
- Geriatrics/Hospice and Palliative Care (1 block)
- Cardiology (1 block)
- ICU (1 block)
- Elective (0.5 block)
- Vacation (1 block divided into two 2-week segments or one 4-week segment)
Additional innovative curriculum and longitudinal experiences available:
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Training: This is an in-depth immersion into a multidisciplinary approach for institutional improvement. Residents partner with the hospital's Process Excellence Department and participate alongside hospital leadership for Lean-Six Sigma training to become certified as Lean-Six Sigma Green Belts upon completion of the program. This program is offered in the spring to PGY-2 residents (you are excused from rotations during training).
Family Medicine Intensive and Community Medicine: The goal of this rotation is to continue to engage and better prepare residents for the rigor and pace of outpatient medicine and to introduce them to community engagement and outreach, advocacy, population health and quality improvement. Residents spend five to eight half days in clinic and work alongside a multidisciplinary team consisting of the quality improvement director, providers who specialize in the chronic disease care for patients with HIV and Hepatitis, and the chief operational officer of East Valley Community Health Center. Residents conduct a quality improvement project on their own panel of patients as well as a longitudinal and broader scope community project that is passed on from resident to resident.
Medicine elective choices:
- Neurology
- Gastroenterology
- Rheumatology
- Endocrinology
- Nephrology
- Cardiology
- Pulmonology
- Infectious diseases
- Sleep medicine
- Hematology/oncology
- Hospice/palliative care
- Radiology
Surgical elective choices:
- Urology
- ENT
- Wound care
- Podiatry
- Ophthalmology
Your third and final year in the Program consists of 13 four-week blocks. They are divided up as follows:
- Family Medicine Inpatient Service (1.75 blocks)
- Emergency Medicine/Pediatrics ER—EDAP at Emanate Health Queen of the Valley Hospital (1 block)
- Night Float (1 block)
- Community Medicine/HIV and Population Health (1 block)
- Orthopedics (1 block)
- Sports Medicine (1 block)
- Electives (4 blocks, each block may be divided into 2 or 4 weeks)
- Practice Management (1 block)
- Women’s Health (1 Block)
- CME (0.25 Block)
- Vacation (1 block divided into two 2-week segments or one 4-week segment)
Additional innovative curriculum and longitudinal experiences available:
Longitudinal Sports Experience: Residents receive intensive training in orthopedics and sports medicine as a combined two-block rotation. During the sports medicine component, residents will attend NCAA lacrosse, high school football, college football and pre-participation sports physicals at local high schools and local colleges alongside faculty with added expertise in sports medicine. Our residents and faculty have also collaborated with other local Family Medicine residencies to provide pre-participation sports physicals and care to athletes in the Special Olympics. This experience is comprised of two consecutive blocks for PGY-3 residents. First- and second-year residents who demonstrate an interest in sports medicine will be provided opportunities to attend games, conduct pre-participation sports physicals or to help athletes during the Special Olympics alongside faculty and their PGY-3 colleagues.
Family Medicine Intensive and Community Medicine: The goal of this rotation is to continue to engage and better prepare residents for the rigor and pace of outpatient medicine and to introduce them to community engagement, advocacy, population health and quality improvement. Residents spend five to eight half days in clinic and continue to receive additional training in the care of HIV patients and in the care of adolescents at a school-based teen clinic.
Medicine electives available for third-year residents:
- Neurology
- GI
- Rheumatology
- Endocrinology
- Nephrology
- Cardiology
- Pulmonology/infectious diseases
- Sleep medicine
- Hematology/oncology
- Hospice/palliative care
- Radiology
Outpatient surgical electives:
- Urology
- ENT
- Wound Care
- Podiatry
- Ophthalmology
Away elective: A one-block away elective may be granted to residents in good academic standing upon discretion from the program. Residents will be responsible for any costs associated with travel and housing for an away elective.
Electives may also include any additional experience on the core rotations as desired in preparation for future practice.