Curriculum
| PGY 1 | PGY 2 | PGY 3 |
| 1-2 Half-days per week in continuity clinic | 2-3 Half-days per week in continuity clinic | 4-5 Half-days per week in continuity clinic |
| FM Service (FMS) (6 weeks) | FM Service (FMS) (6 weeks) | FM Service (FMS) (6 weeks) |
| Internal Medicine | Internal Medicine | FM Night Float (2 weeks) |
| Intensive Care Unit | Intensive Care Unit | Sports Medicine |
| Obstetrics (2, 4 week blocks) | Obstetrics | Dermatology at Denver Health |
| General Surgery (outpatient and inpatient) | FM Night Float | Gynecology |
| Inpatient Pediatrics at Children's Hospital Colorado |
Outpatient Pediatrics at Children's Hospital Clinics |
Trauma/Ortho (Winter Park or Snowmass) |
| Pediatric ED at Denver Health |
Rural (location varies) |
Management of Health Systems (2 weeks) |
| Emergency Medicine | Orthopedics at Denver Health | Outpatient Pediatrics (location varies) |
| Newborn Nursery | Surgical Procedures | FM Clinic |
| FM Clinic/Behavioral Health (2 weeks) |
Career Development Selective (2 weeks) |
Geriatrics |
| Elective (2 weeks) | Elective (4-6 weeks) | Elective (10-12 weeks) |
| All are 4 weeks total unless specified Longitudinal Curricula: Community Medicine, Nursing Home & Home Visits, Medical Spanish |
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Examples of block schedules per year.
Curriculum
Our curriculum is designed to fully prepare residents for any setting after graduation. Our rotations and training represent a balance of foundational family medicine, including outpatient, inpatient, obstetrics, pediatrics, geriatrics, and procedures.
Saint Joe’s is a particularly excellent program for those considering full-spectrum practice in the future. Our more intense rotations, while challenging, will expand your knowledge and skills. In comparison, other rotations are more relaxed and allow for more decompression and personal time. All rotations are structured to maximize learning opportunities and respect the resident’s time and efforts. Lastly, our ample flexibility and elective opportunities allow residents to cater training to their specific interests and goals.
Collaborative Training
Saint Joseph Hospital hosts four residency programs: FM, IM, OB/GYN and General Surgery. While it may not be true everywhere, at Saint Joe’s we strongly value this collaborative training. We work and play well together; benefit and learn from each other. Residents rotate with the other specialities which creates meaningful relationships and deeper understanding. The hospital and residency clinics are teaching institutions to the core, which means residents enjoy consistent autonomy from patients, attendings, specialists and staff. As a busy hospital, there are plenty of patients and procedures for all of us. Lastly, we support each other on all levels, from the residents to the highest levels of leadership.
Select Rotation Information
- Family Medicine Service (FMS): Full-spectrum (newborns, OB, adult, ICU) family medicine inpatient service at Saint Joseph hospital staffed by our residency faculty.
- Internal Medicine: Work with internal medicine residents on an adult inpatient service at Saint Joseph Hospital staffed by Kaiser Permanente hospitalists
Intensive Care Unit (ICU): Work with internal medicine residents on a multidisciplinary team in the ICU at Saint Joseph Hospital. Staffed by National Jewish and Kaiser Permanente intensivists. - Obstetrics: High-risk and low-risk labor and delivery, triage, and postpartum experience staffed by Kaiser Permanente and OB/GYN faculty.
- General Surgery: Hybrid inpatient/outpatient rotation in which residents work with surgery residents doing consults, operations, and pre-op/post-op visits. Residents also work with FM faculty doing outpatient procedures such as skin biopsies and vasectomies.
- Rural: Spend a month of 2nd year in rural Colorado (housing provided) learning rural medicine.
- Career Development: Work with a mentor to design a 2 week elective for self-exploration, goals and values identification and to try out different career possibilities.
- Acute Care Orthopedics/Trauma: Spend 2-4 weeks at Winter Park or Snowmass mountain clinics learning high altitude medicine and how to take care of acute orthopedic injuries.
Community Medicine Curriculum
- During PGY1, residents have protected time to orient themselves to the community we serve. Highly motivated residents may find time to establish and continue a partnership into PGY2 with a community organization of their choice.
- Third year residents have approximately one half day per month blocked to work with one of our community partners. Some of our partners:
- Urban Peak Youth Shelter Clinic: work with one of our faculty providing clinical care to homeless teens and young adults
- Career Coach Mentoring: mentor 10 th or 11 th grade students at a local high school who are interested in health careers
- Metro Caring: assist in keeping shelves stocked or participate in food and education projects at a local hunger prevention organization
- Lardon Hall: provide care for a patient population with developmental and intellectual disabilities
Spanish Language Training
This training improves Spanish proficiency among providers and staff at all levels in order to improve patient care and interactions for our large Spanish-speaking population. Training includes:
- Monthly 90 minute multilevel Medical Spanish classes for all residents
- Four day pre-orientation intensive Medical Spanish course for new interns
- Optional: Spanish language acquisition and immersion! Residents may apply for funding to take a two week medical Spanish immersion in Guatemala or Costa Rica (or do virtual classes if travel restricted)
Electives
In addition to the wide range of existing elective rotations, residents can create their own rotations tailored to meet their educational needs. Some examples include international and rural rotations as well as integrative medicine. Residents have progressively more time for electives each year of training with a great deal of flexibility in their third year.