Curriculum
Broad Clinical Experiences
We train lifelong, adaptive learners who are prepared to work in any future environment. Our longitudinal curriculum effectively simulates the day-to-day experience of a full-spectrum family medicine physician, filled with a variety of experiences and patient encounters.
We are deeply committed to helping each resident discover and pursue the areas of medicine that inspire them. We empower residents to shape their training with our pathways and build the career that fits their goals and passions.
Continuity Clinic
The heart of our curriculum is the Family Medicine Residency Center, where residents practice four half-days per week all three years. Residents learn how to care for patients of all ages and needs while gaining clinical experiences that vary from wellness visits to maternity care to management of complex medical conditions. Outpatient procedures are performed within the Residency Center in one of the spacious procedure rooms.
Residents integrate time in the clinic with mini-blocks and longitudinal rotations, giving variety to their days and simulating their future practice in a rural environment.
Orientation
Start of employment in late June.
Core Skills Month
Month of July in PGY1 year. The experience will include varied settings of classroom didactics, hands-on skill training with both standardized patients and models, continuity outpatient clinic, POCUS workshop, and introduction to different services throughout the community where residents will be living and working. Certifications including ACLS, BLS, PALS, ALSO, and NRP will be obtained during core skills rotation as well.
Rotations
All residents will be dual licensed through both the state of Washington and the state of Idaho as the Pullman Regional Hospital network extends across state lines.
| Rotation | Total Time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Inpatient Adult | 12 weeks | 1 week per month |
| Emergency Medicine | 8 weeks | 1 week most months |
| General Surgery | 4 weeks | Mini Blocks – 2 weeks at a time |
| Obstetrics/Newborn | 4 weeks | 1 week per quarter |
| Ortho/Sports Medicine | 4 weeks | Mini Blocks – 2 weeks at a time |
| Pediatrics – Outpatient | 4 weeks | Mini Blocks – 2 weeks at a time |
| Cardiology | 2 weeks | Mini Blocks – 2 weeks at a time |
| Radiology | 2 weeks | Mini Blocks – 2 weeks at a time |
| Sub-Specialty Selective | 4 weeks | Dependent on selection |
| Rotation | Total Time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency Medicine | 8 weeks | 1 week most months |
| Health Systems | 4 weeks | Longitudinal (scheduled by half-day) |
| Inpatient Adult | 4 weeks | 1 week per quarter |
| Obstetrics/Newborn | 4 weeks | 1 week per quarter |
| Ortho/Sports Medicine | 4 weeks | Longitudinal (scheduled by half-day) |
| Pediatrics – Inpatient | 4 weeks | Block – Away rotation |
| Pediatrics – Outpatient | 4 weeks | Longitudinal (scheduled by half-day) |
| Women’s Health | 4 weeks | Mini Blocks – 2 weeks at a time |
| Geriatrics | 2 weeks | Longitudinal (scheduled by half-day) |
| Urology | 2 weeks | Longitudinal (scheduled by half-day) |
| Sub-Specialty Selectives | 8 weeks | Dependent on selection |
| Rotation | Total Time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Inpatient Adult | 12 weeks | 1 week per month |
| Emergency Medicine | 8 weeks | 1 week most months |
| Obstetrics/Newborn | 4 weeks | 1 week per quarter |
| Rural Medicine | 4 weeks | Mini Blocks – 2 week at a time |
| Geriatrics | 2 weeks | Longitudinal (scheduled by half-day) |
| Otolaryngology | 2 weeks | Mini Blocks – 2 weeks at a time |
| Pediatrics – Emergency | 2 weeks | Block – Away rotation |
| Scholarship | 2 weeks | Longitudinal (scheduled by half-day) |
| Sub-Specialty Selectives | 12 weeks | Dependent on selection |
Sample Schedule, Year 1
| WEEK | ROTATIONS |
|---|---|
| 1–4 | Core Skills |
| 5–6 | Inpatient |
| 7–8 | General Surgery |
| 9–10 | Outpatient Pediatrics |
| 11 | Vacation |
| 12 | Emergency Medicine |
| 13–14 | Inpatient |
| 15–16 | Ortho |
| 17–18 | Emergency Medicine |
| 19–20 | General Surgery |
| 21–22 | Cardiology |
| 23 | Vacation |
| 24 | Inpatient |
| 25–26 | Radiology |
| 27–28 | Inpatient |
| 29–30 | Emergency Medicine |
| 31–32 | Outpatient Pediatrics |
| 33–34 | Inpatient |
| 35–36 | Selective – Neuro |
| 37–38 | Ortho |
| 39–40 | Emergency Medicine |
| 41 | Vacation |
| 42 | Inpatient |
| 43–44 | Emergency Medicine |
| 45–48 | Obstetrics in Spokane, WA |
| 49–50 | Selective – ENT |
| 51–52 | Inpatient |
Sample Schedule, Year 2
| WEEK | ROTATIONS |
|---|---|
| 1–4 | Inpatient Pediatrics in Spokane, WA |
| 5–6 | Outpatient Pediatrics |
| 7–8 | Psychology in Moscow, ID |
| 9–10 | Selective-Rodeo |
| 11 | Inpatient Nights |
| 12 | Inpatient |
| 13–14 | Geriatrics |
| 15–16 | Selective – Research |
| 17–18 | Women’s Health |
| 19–20 | Selective – Sports |
| 21–22 | Ortho/Sports Med |
| 23–24 | Emergency Medicine |
| 25 | Vacation |
| 26 | OB – Newborn |
| 27–28 | Inpatient |
| 29–30 | Pediatric Outpatient |
| 31 | Selective – Sleep |
| 32 | Vacation |
| 33–34 | Selective – Pain |
| 35 | Inpatient Nights |
| 36 | Inpatient |
| 37–38 | Emergency Medicine |
| 39–40 | OB – Newborn Pullman Regional Hospital |
| 41–42 | Psychology |
| 43–44 | Selective – Urgent care |
| 45 | Vacation |
| 46 | OB – Newborn at Pullman Regional Hospital |
| 47 | Inpatient Nights |
| 48 | Inpatient |
| 49–50 | Women’s Health |
| 51–52 | Ortho/Sports Medicine |
Call Schedule
All calls for Pullman Regional Hospital (PRH) is home call. Residents cover PRH Outpatient Primary Care Clinics’ after-hour patient calls through the call service. Additionally, when on call, residents cover Labor and Delivery including obstetrics and newborn while on call. There are no scheduled 24-hr call shifts.
Scholarly Activity
Scholarly activity within the residency program encompasses a broad range of academic pursuits aimed at advancing medical knowledge, improving patient care, and enhancing the education of health care providers. First year residents will participate in Family Physicians Inquiries Network (FPIN) Good Evidence Matters (GEMs) project. Each resident will also engage in at least one quality improvement project within their area of interest. For those interested, there are many additional opportunities for scholarly work available.
Electives
Residents will have at least six months of elective experiences throughout their three years of residency. The electives are critical for each resident to develop and enhance the competencies that are needed to serve the resident’s future communities and career goals best.
Current Electives Include, but Are Not Limited To
- Ear, Nose, and Throat/Audiology
- Student Health
- Pathology
- Neurology
- Hematology/Oncology
- Dermatology
- Wound Care
- Infectious Disease
- Anesthesia & Pain Management
- Nephrology
- Gastroenterology
- Podiatry
- Cardiology
- Sleep Medicine
- Research
Residents Can Focus on One of the Selective Pathways
Designed for residents interested in pursuing a sports medicine fellowship, this track provides broad exposure to athlete care across multiple settings. Residents work regularly with local youth, high school, and Division I athletes, participating in PPEs, event coverage, and training‑room experiences. Additional opportunities include MSK ultrasound training, attendance at national sports medicine conferences, and involvement in research.
Our OB track is unique in its depth and continuity. Rather than a single block rotation, obstetrics training is integrated throughout residency, allowing residents to build skills progressively and confidently. Participants may gain experience in VBACs, twin deliveries, OB triage, rapid response situations, and high‑volume labor management — it is possible to get > 100 deliveries. Residents also take call in a model that mirrors real‑world practice, balancing clinic responsibilities while managing laboring patients. The result is a rich, hands‑on experience that prepares residents for full‑spectrum family medicine with obstetrics.
This track is designed for residents committed to practicing full‑scope family medicine in rural or frontier communities. Residents complete their continuity clinic in a location even more rural than Pullman, gaining firsthand experience with the challenges and rewards of caring for patients in resource‑limited settings. Training emphasizes broad procedural skills, community‑centered care, and clinical independence, preparing residents to confidently serve as comprehensive physicians in rural practice.
Our residency is committed to helping each resident shape their training to match their interests and future practice goals. For those whose passions fall outside our established tracks, we collaborate to design a personalized pathway that leverages our clinical, academic, and community resources. This customizable track ensures residents can explore specialized areas and develop the skills needed to become the physician they aspire to be.
Didactics
Academic Half-Day
- Academic Half-Days are protected learning time where all clinical duties are suspended for residents every Wednesday afternoon. Academic Half-Day balances hands-on simulations and procedure training with board-centric classroom content to develop well-rounded family medicine physicians.
- Formats include but are not limited to interactive case-based learning, traditional lecture style teaching, rash of the week, EKG of the week, radiology mystery of the week, journal club, QI workshop, and hands-on simulations such as IUD placements, suture skills, intubations, paracentesis, and aspirations. We also have an integrated POCUS curriculum.
Lunch & Learn
- Twice a month, Pullman Regional Hospital and WSU Family Medicine Residency pair up to bring a lecture and catered lunch to the hospital staff. Residents can come and listen to a speaker while they eat lunch and share in the community of the hospital.
- Topics vary and have included pediatric cardiology, financial health, solving cold cases use DNA, Xylazine and emerging drugs, Native health care, and school special services.
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