In addition to excellent clinical experiences that have been designed to optimize learning, IM residents at U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix participate in an innovative curriculum that augments clinical training and provide excellent preparation for boards and your future career.
Didactics
Our innovative didactics prepare our residents for practicing independently and for passing the board exam. Since 2011, we have utilized an Academic Half Day, which allows residents to come together during protected time to learn from the best teachers across our community. Residents also participate in Resident Report (a noon-time morning report) three days per week, Grand Rounds on Friday mornings, and other interactive and didactic learning sessions.
Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
We are national leaders in education on quality improvement (QI) and patient safety. Beginning as a key component of our participation in the ACGME’s Education Innovation Project (EIP), we have evolved into having three chief residents in quality and safety, patient safety consults, monthly patient safety conferences, and an institution-wide Annual Housestaff Quality and Safety Day.
QI education is integrated throughout the three years, with additional focused time during the four-week longitudinal “BETTER” curriculum (two non-clinical weeks in PGY2 and two non-clinical weeks in PGY3). As a part of “BETTER,” each resident participates in interactive sessions applying QI principles to the local context and completes a mentored project linked to an institutional priority.
Simulation
Two state-of-the-art simulation centers are utilized for organized simulation training experiences and Resident as Educator events.
Board Prep Resources
Our Academic Half Day interactive didactics, combined with multiple other board preparation resources, have led to a board pass rate of over 94 percent for the last five years.
Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) and Procedure Training
Residents have ample opportunities to learn and practice POCUS and procedure skills under appropriate supervision with graduated autonomy.
Resident as Educator/Teacher Preparation
The Internal Medicine Residency program helps prepare all our interns and senior residents for their roles as teachers. Resident as Educator preparation occurs in a number of different formats and during specific intervals over the course of the three-year residency. This ensures that content most relevant to a specific stage of training (PGY1, PGY2, or PGY3) is provided at the most useful time for our residents. It also helps reinforce skills over time and allows residents build new and more advanced skills on top of ones previously mastered.
All residents participate in certain Resident as Educator events, while additional activities are available to help those with a special interest in teaching and/or academic medicine to excel at teaching. These are described in more detail on our Resident as Educator/Teacher page.
Retreats and Events
We have numerous retreats and events to recognize our residents, build our community and supplement the curriculum described here.