Curriculum
Diverse Clinical Experiences
The major focus of our residency program is to support the diverse career goals of our trainees. Our program strives to live out our mission to serving the underserved in rural communities with a strong emphasis on academic excellence throughout the training experience, offering a learning environment that balances the personal and professional needs of our trainee. Residents divide their time between general medicine and subspecialty ward services, intensive care units, ambulatory care experiences, consultation rotations, emergency rooms and long-term care settings.
Point Of Care Ultrasound
It’s not often that technology advancements bring us back to the bedside, rather than away from it. Primarily used in emergency medicine and intensive care, Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) has now transitioned to the medicine world at a rapid pace. The development of new ultrasound technologies, combined with artificial intelligence software implementation and mounting research showing POCUS is within the scope of practice of internists, has made POCUS an important skillset to master for future inpatient and outpatient internal medicine providers.
“Point of Care Ultrasound empowers the clinician that knows the patient best to efficiently and reliably get clinical information at the bedside, aiding in clinical decision while also improving patient-physician relationship.”
Federico Fenton Portillo, MD
POCUS Director
Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
As systems become more complex, pressure to address efficiency issues throughout our healthcare environment is increasing. As frontline healthcare professionals, residents have unique opportunities to contribute to quality improvement and patient safety initiatives at the clinical sites where they rotate. Through formal didactics, group projects and QI and PS committees, WSU internal medicine residents have many ways to contribute to the evolving quality landscape at Providence Medical Center and WSU.
“Understanding the system you are working within is essential to maximizing your performance as a physician and to helping your patient’s navigate an increasingly complex care environment”
Alexander Katz, MD
Director of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, Inpatient
Year 1
The first year of residency is focused on training in the fundamentals of internal medicine.
First-year residents are exposed to a diverse population of patients with a broad mix of complex disease. Interns will rotate through general inpatient wards, sub-specialty selectives, night medicine, the intensive care unit, and ambulatory medicine. Residents will also spend two weeks on the patient centered care team (PCT) working in a value-based care system. Patient volumes and teams are structured to provide adequate support with an emphasis on learning. Call schedules vary from rotation to rotation but in general we use a drip or shift work model for admissions. We have a night medicine rotation in place to cover general inpatient medicine teams. The outpatient experience includes a longitudinal continuity clinic and two to three ambulatory blocks to initiate interns in ambulatory medicine. Four weeks of vacation are given during ambulatory medicine and subspecialty selectives.
Sample Resident Schedule, Year 1
| BLOCK | ROTATIONS |
|---|---|
| 1 | Night Medicine/PCT |
| 2 | Ambulatory Medicine/Subspeciality |
| 3 | Ambulatory Medicine/Vacation |
| 4 | Inpatient Wards |
| 5 | Subspecialty Selective/Vacation |
| 6 | Inpatient Wards |
| 7 | Subspecialty Selective/Vacation |
| 8 | Inpatient Wards |
| 9 | MICU |
| 10 | Inpatient Wards |
| 11 | Ambulatory Medicine/Vacation |
| 12 | Night Medicine |
| 13 | Inpatient Wards |
Years 2 and 3
During the second and third years of residency, each trainee assumes the responsibility of functioning as the supervising physician on the general medicine, subspecialty and icu rotations.
During the second and third years of residency, there is a greater emphasis on outpatient medicine with increased rotations in ambulatory medicine, PCT, and subspecialty rotations including Neurology, Geriatrics and Emergency medicine. In addition, residents will spend four weeks rotating in a rural community of Western Washington with experiences in both inpatient and outpatient medicine. Four weeks of vacation are given during the second and third year.
Sample Resident Schedule, Year 2
| BLOCK | ROTATIONS |
|---|---|
| 1 | Inpatient Wards |
| 2 | Ambulatory Medicine/Vacation |
| 3 | Inpatient Wards |
| 4 | MICU |
| 5 | Inpatient Wards |
| 6 | Night Medicine/Vacation |
| 7 | Rural Medicine |
| 8 | Subspecialty Selective/Vacation |
| 9 | Emergency Medicine |
| 10 | Geriatrics |
| 11 | Neurology |
| 12 | PCT (Patient Centered Care Team) |
| 13 | Elective/Vacation |
Sample Resident Schedule, Year 3
| BLOCK | ROTATIONS |
|---|---|
| 1 | PCT |
| 2 | Ambulatory Medicine |
| 3 | Elective/Vacation |
| 4 | Subspecialty Selective |
| 5 | Night Medicine |
| 6 | Rural Medicine |
| 7 | Inpatient Wards |
| 8 | Elective/Vacation |
| 9 | Inpatient Wards |
| 10 | MICU |
| 11 | Subspecialty Selective/Vacation |
| 12 | Inpatient Wards |
| 13 | Subspecialty Selective/Vacation |