There are several formal group learning activities in which residents are expected to participate. These activities are an integral part of the educational experience as they are meant to augment the learning residents do in the clinical setting. Topics are intended to acknowledge the breadth of family medicine and emphasizing common diagnoses and medical conditions seen within the scope of practice. Lectures include specialists from both RUSH Copley Medical Center and RUSH University Medical Center (RUMC) community organizations such as the Department of Public Health, and family medicine faculty. Active participation is expected and questions are encouraged.
Wednesday Afternoon Didactics
Didactics are held every Wednesday afternoon from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Family Medicine Center conference room, unless otherwise specified. To maximize learning during didactics, all residents are excused for rotation obligations during this protected time with the exception of the inpatient medicine team senior resident who will continue to provide care for our hospitalized patients. Lecture topics are carefully chosen based on the American Board of Family Medicine medical-content categories to supplement learning in preparation for the board certification exam. Invited speakers include faculty members, specialists, community partners, non-physician healthcare providers, and resident physicians.
Clinical Skills Workshops
Throughout the academic year, residents participate in several practical, hands-on skills workshops designed to explain and teach procedural skills. These include sports medicine workshops focused on thorough musculoskeletal exams, intrauterine device (IUD) placement, splinting and casting, colposcopy and endometrial biopsy, and joint injections. Lectures include faculty members and training specialists.
Grand Rounds
All family medicine residents present a case for Grand Rounds each academic year. These cases are patient-centered and often illustrate the complexity of patient concerns and presentations. Holistic views on health are emphasized during these cases with residents encouraged to use the “whole person” model of care that is the hallmark of our discipline. With these presentations, residents have an opportunity to practice their self-learning skills of identifying appropriate clinical questions and using appropriate clinical resources to efficiently and effectively find the evidence-based answers to those questions. Lifelong learning is a requirement of any good physician, and Grand Rounds provides a chance to build confidence and expertise in utilizing point-of-care and other evidence-based resources in clinical practice.
Department Chair Rounds
It is RUSH Copley Family Medicine Residency’s privilege to host Department Chair Rounds with Dr. Steven Rothschild, chair, Department of Family Medicine at RUMC. These monthly conferences focus on clinical reasoning, differential diagnosis, and determining cost-effective evaluation and treatment. Every academic year each resident will be asked to identify a clinical case that may be challenging for a variety of reasons in order to co-facilitate these sessions with Dr. Rothschild. Learning objectives center on improving diagnostic reasoning skills.
Teaching Rounds
Daily teaching rounds occur when residents are on an inpatient rotation. These include formal teaching sessions in the morning by the night team after sign-out and informal teaching done by attending physicians and senior residents during rounds. Depending on your attending physician and daily work, formal didactic teaching by the attending and senior resident may also occur. The format of teaching rounds is at the discretion of the attending on call and may include case presentations, differential diagnosis discussions, radiology rounds, and/or bedside teaching rounds.
Noon Conferences
Noon conferences are held several times per week from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. in the Family Medicine Center conference room. Some sessions are led by specialists or family medicine faculty focused on specific disease processes. Given these sessions are shorter than other lectures, the focus is not on large reviews of complex medical conditions but, rather, on presenting the evidence to answer specific clinical questions. Topics have included the use of CURB-65 criteria for admission, the new definitions and treatment goals for hypertension, and the criteria for liver transplantation in adult patients.
Resident Wellness Sessions
RUSH Copley Family Medicine Residency provides several sessions focused on resident wellness and resiliency as part of the Wednesday didactic curriculum and as standalone activities. These activities include participation in balint group, intern support group, and resident wellness noon conference. Both balint and intern support group are facilitated by our clinical psychologist, Dr. Cynthia Hays. Balint group focuses on areas of conflict or contention between clinicians and their long-term patients to improve and better understand that clinician-patient relationship. Intern group allows the newest members of the residency program to have an additional supportive outlet to assist with the transition from student to resident. Resident wellness noon conference occurs monthly and focuses on wellness topics such as mediation, time-management, sleep, and exercise and creativity. Sessions include short presentations on the topics and an interactive discussion about how the topic relates to residents and their needs. Additionally, these sessions provide time for residents to bond and strengthen their support systems.
Formal CME Activities
RUSH Copley Medical Center sponsors several formal Continuing Medical Education (CME) activities throughout the academic year. Residents are welcome to attend any of these activities that do not conflict with rotation or other clinical obligations. Topics have included the treatment of ADHD, diagnosis and treatment of urinary retention, the sports physical and the most recent evidence surrounding the use of electronic cigarettes and EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping associated lung injury).