Woodrail Clinic

Beginning the second week of training, residents are responsible for one half-day internal medicine outpatient clinic each week, alternating between the VA Hospital and University Physicians clinics. Residents are divided between Woodrail Internal Medicine and Fairview Internal Medicine for their University Physicians clinics. General Internal Medicine faculty members serve as preceptors for ambulatory medicine education and patient care.

Residents will serve as the primary care provider for their patients. Residents are encouraged to build their practices with hospitalized patients who do not have primary care physicians, and with patients encountered during consultation or subspecialty experiences. Hospitalized patients should optimally be seen in follow-up at least once in clinic by the discharging resident or intern, even if they have established primary care relationships with other physicians. First-year residents are expected to average a minimum of 3 patient visits per clinic session over the academic year, and senior residents are expected to average a minimum of 4 patient visits per session over the academic year.

Fairview Clinic

Patients in the University Physicians clinics are relatively balanced with regards to gender, and frequently have both acute and chronic medical problems. The Woodrail Internal Medicine clinic is designed to be a place where the resident can function as the primary care physician for a panel of patients with whom a relationship is established over the continuum of 3 years in training. Continuity of care will also be provided by the resident clinic faculty preceptors. Continuity of education is provided by maintaining the same resident-preceptor relationship over the course of the resident’s training. The focus at the Fairview Internal Medicine site is on team-based care in conjunction with General Internal Medicine faculty and clinic staff.

Alternating every other week between the University Physicians clinics and the Veteran’s Administration Hospital (VA), residents will have a diverse outpatient population. Patients at the VA Hospital are predominantly older and male, and often have multiple medical problems. While the complexities of managing multiple medical problems and medications can be challenging, they provide excellent opportunity to evaluate and manage multi-system chronic diseases.

Residents will not have clinic responsibilities while doing rotations in the ICU, CCU or ER; while on Night Float or on post-call days, or during scheduled vacations.