Family Medicine
Inpatient Service (8 months)
First year residents spend 4 months, second year residents spend 2 months and third year residents spend 2 months on this inpatient service. This service exposes residents to every gamut of family medicine including adult medicine, pediatric medicine, obstetrics and newborn care. One of our own faculty members serves as the attending each week. The resident will admit from the family medical faculty and resident clinic patients, and other obstetric and pediatric patients from physicians in the community. See below for details about the call schedule.
Medicine Inpatient
Service (8 months)
First year residents spend 5 months and second year residents spend 3 months on this inpatient service. Residents work with the McKay-Dee hospitalists, family physicians, and cardiologists caring for patients admitted to McKay-Dee Hospital Center. The patient mix extends from general medical problems to acutely ill intensive care and coronary care patients. Residents respond to and help the hospitalists direct all codes. See below for details about the call schedule.
Call Schedule
During months on inpatient services, four residents each take a week (6 nights) of night float, admitting and taking calls usually from 6pm to 7am. During the other three weeks, they round on patients in the morning and take admissions from 7am to 6pm every third day. On other weekday afternoons, they have clinic. On the other weekend days, they have the day off.
Residents who are not on service cover the Saturday night float shift from 9pm to 7am admitting, then stay through Sunday morning to help round on patients over the weekend so that those on service can have that time off. This ends up being just shy of one night float shift per month not on service.
Obstetrics (longitudinal)
The obstetrical training occurs both during family medicine service rotations and while caring for the resident's private obstetrical patients who are part of the resident's continuity clinic. The residency serves as primary obstetrical provider for a large community agency serving low-income populations. Through this affiliation, and through the residency clinic, there is the opportunity to follow a large number of women through the entire course of pregnancy and delivery under the supervision of family physicians, obstetricians, perinatologists, and midwives.
There is extensive training in the use of ultrasound, intrapartum monitoring, and in the management of delivery. The average resident cares for and delivers approximately 60 continuity patients during his or her three years. In addition, residents participate in over 100 other deliveries with community obstetricians, Family Medicine and midwife attendings. Residents also have the opportunity to learn Caesarean section skills, and many graduates perform C-sections as primary surgeon.
Pediatrics (longitudinal)
The resident's pediatric training encompasses a full range of pediatric care. Inpatient experience occurs within the hospital pediatric unit while on the Family Medicine inpatient service. Residents on the Family Medicine Service obtain NICU resuscitation experience, and first year residents spend 6 half-days a month with local pediatricians--this is the core of their outpatient pediatric training. Ongoing acute and well-child care training is gained through the resident's continuity clinic at the Porter Family Medicine Residency Clinic. All residents continue to follow the majority of the newborns they deliver and this provides every resident with a large pediatric population within their continuity clinics.
Orthopedics/Sports
Medicine (2 months and
longitudinal)
Surgery (2 months)
The surgery rotation provides residents a broad range of training and experience from the handling of major trauma to "lump and bump" office procedures. The resident gains experience in the delivery of pre- and post-operative care, as well as experience in operating room procedures. Competency in minor surgical techniques and outpatient surgery is stressed. The program may be tailored to meet special demands of the resident expecting to practice in a rural area. Graduates currently practicing in rural areas perform procedures such as: hernia repairs, cholecystectomies, upper and lower endoscopies, carpel tunnel release, appendectomies, tonsillectomies, adenoidectomies, and tympanostomy tube placement.
Rural
Medicine (2 weeks)
Every second year resident spends two weeks in a rural Utah community learning small town Family Medicine. The resident participates in outpatient, inpatient, obstetrical, and emergency care while on this rotation. Housing is provided. Residents are also encouraged to explore community resources and the differences between rural, suburban and urban medicine.
Psychiatry (1 month)
The behavioral health training consists of longitudinal training, as well as a one-month rotation based on a combination of hospital and community experiences. Residents treat a variety of patients with psychiatrists and other mental health professionals. There is ongoing collaboration and consultation on selected cases during each year of the residency. The training can be tailored to fit the needs of the individual resident.
Emergency Medicine (2
months)
The emergency medicine rotation is completed at McKay-Dee Hospital, which is a Level II Trauma Center serving Northern Utah and Southern Idaho through the busiest ED in the state. Residents receive training in the management of a wide range of medical and surgical emergencies, and acquire competency in ACLS, endotracheal intubation, and the initial management of both major and minor trauma victims. This is often the resident's highest rated experience.
Community Medicine (2
weeks)
During the first year, each resident spends 2 weeks visiting various community resources and working at the local health department and homeless shelter medical clinics.
Geriatrics (2 weeks
and longitudinal)
Residents spends 2 weeks working with local geriatricians. 2nd and 3rd year residents also help round on patients at a local nursing home, where the medical director provides oversight and some didactic teaching in geriatric care.
Gynecology (1 month)
Gynecological training is gained during a one month rotation during the first year and also longitudinally throughout the three years. The formal one-month rotation is spent with community gynecologists, planned parenthood, and local colposcopy and LEEP clinics, including one at our family practice center.
Critical Care (1 month)
A formal one-month rotation is spent in the Intensive Care Unit at McKay-Dee Hospital during the third year. Residents admit patients with the intensivists and follow these patients daily. Formal rounds are held by the multidisciplinary intensive care team, and residents present their patient at these rounds. Daily didactic lectures are given by the intensivists to the residents.
Selectives/Electives (11 months)
Electives are available in the second and third years of the program to permit residents to tailor their training program specifically to their anticipated practice settings, and to their individual needs. A wide variety of electives are available at McKay-Dee Hospital, or with community physicians in the Ogden/Salt Lake City and surrounding areas. Residents expecting to practice in a rural setting generally spend a number of months obtaining experience in operative obstetrics, procedures, surgical techniques, endoscopy, and emergency medicine.
Quality Improvement (2 weeks)
Intermountain Healthcare has been recognized as a leader in clinical quality improvement initiatives. Residents at McKay-Dee receive a two-week training course on topics such as leadership in medicine, outcomes measurement, statistical process control, and process analysis. Participation in hospital or clinic improvement initiatives is encouraged.
Rotation Schedule
To access the rotation schedule, please
click here.