* There are 13 four-week blocks in the academic year.
R1
Categorical: 20 weeks
Primary Care: 16 weeks
R2
8-12 weeks
R3
8-12 weeks
R1
8 weeks
R2
4-8 weeks
R3
4-8 weeks
R1
4 weeks
R2
4-8 weeks
R3
4-8 weeks
R1
Categorical: 4 weeks
Primary Care: 8 weeks
R2
0-4 weeks
(4 for Primary Care track)
R3
0-4 weeks
(4 for Primary Care track)
R1
4 weeks
R2
0-4 weeks
R3
0-4 weeks
R1
12 weeks
R2
20-24 weeks
R3
20-24 weeks
R1
Categorical and Primary Care:
Full day per week on electives;
Full day 2 out of 4 weeks on wards, none on nights or ICU
R2
Same as R1
R3
Same as R1
In July 2019 Virginia Mason transitioned to a unit-based care model. This means patients with similar disease manifestations reside on the same floors. We have found this increases efficiency for the physician, ensures optimal communication with our nursing and care managers, and allows us to be more present throughout the day for family discussions or other needs which may arise. From an educational viewpoint, this has allowed us to immerse ourselves in specific topics during our inpatient months. While there are still many disease processes on each floor, the resident rotates through the telemetry unit, progressive care (ICU step-down unit), and a med/surg hematology-oncology unit. Because of this geographic structure, we have been able to engage our sub-specialist colleagues for frequent teaching during the month centered on patient-specific presentations, review of echocardiograms, physical examination rounds, oncologic emergencies, palliative care rounds, and a variety of other learning modalities which enhance our residency experience.
Level 8: This is the team for our Telemetry floor who care for our patients admitted for cardiac issues, such as ACS and heart failure. The team consists of a senior resident with two interns and an attending hospitalist who oversees the team.
Level 9: This is our Progressive Care floor, which is our step-down unit, where patients have either improved enough to leave the ICU or require close monitoring. This floor has robust learning with an emphasis on sepsis and respiratory failure. The team consists of two senior residents and two interns working together to care for their patients, supervised by an attending hospitalist.
Level 18:This is an oncology-focused medical/surgical floor where residents receive training on common malignancy-related complications and conditions. The team consists of 2 interns and a supervising attending hospitalist. There is a senior on the unit for first 2 months of intern year after which interns have increased autonomy and work directly with an attending hospitalist.
Day Admit Team: This team admits medicine patients throughout the hospital (excluding MICU). The team consists of 1 senior resident, 2 interns and a supervising attending hospitalist.
Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU)
In addition to teaching the skills necessary for the care of the complex, critically ill patient, our MICU rotation emphasizes leadership, interdisciplinary collaboration and end-of-life care. Our award-winning ICU is staffed by board-certified subspecialists who are passionate about resident education.
Night Float
Our night float rotation emphasizes the development of autonomous decision making, efficiency and communication. It is instrumental in training interns to admit patients in an organized, comprehensive and efficient manner, while balancing the demands of cross-cover.
Swing Rotation
The swing rotation focuses on admitting new patients to the hospital and provides an opportunity for senior residents to build clinical acumen and independence. The resident admits patients independently and then staffs with an attending. While there is always an attending in-house to offer support, residents enjoy the autonomy that this rotation offers. This rotation is done in combination with the Level 8 rotation with senior residents working for 2 weeks as the swing resident and then swapping to the Level 8 senior resident for another 2 weeks during a 4-week rotation.
Emergency Medicine
Our emergency medicine rotation allows residents to hone their skills in the initial workup and management of patients with a wide range of diseases. Like all departments at Virginia Mason, our Emergency Department (ED) is designed to maximize patient safety and quality care, while minimizing cost and unnecessary testing.
Elective Hospitalist Float Rotation
The resident on the hospitalist elective works one-on-one with a Virginia Mason hospitalist faculty to care for six to eight patients without a larger intern team. The resident rounds independently, checking in with the attending throughout the day. This rotation emphasizes autonomy and advanced clinical decision-making skills and is a good option for those interested in a hospitalist career.
Elective Swing Rotation
This rotation is available as an optional elective, which is particularly beneficial for those pursuing a hospital medicine career. The swing rotation focuses on admitting new patients to the hospital and provides an opportunity for senior residents to build clinical acumen and independence. The resident admits patients independently and then staffs with an attending. While there is always an attending in-house to offer support, residents enjoy the autonomy that this rotation offers.
Other than the hospitalist float rotation, all other elective rotations are Monday through Friday, though residents may be called to work as inpatient as back up during their assigned weeks on these rotations. Over the course of three years, residents complete the core electives needed for their track (categorical or primary care) and will be able to customize a schedule of electives that will best prepare them for their future career.
During these rotations, residents work directly with the specialists in caring for patients to learn more about the breadth of each of these fields as well as more in depth in how to diagnosis and manage the conditions that these providers specialize in. Our specialists help residents focus on not only the knowledge needed for boards but also improving their exam techniques and understanding of conditions so they are better able to evaluate and manage patients for a wide variety of conditions prior to referral.
Elective Options
Electives in bold are required for completion of Categorical and Primary Care Programs.
As a Virginia Mason resident, you are exposed to a wide variety of patients with a range of backgrounds, medical issues and economic circumstances. Residents are exposed to diversity both within the Virginia Mason health system and through our community partners.
The Virginia Mason Health System includes both the main hospital and outpatient clinics in downtown Seattle, as well as eight regional medical centers. About 15 percent to 20 percent of our patients identify as a racial minority, and we are a tertiary referral center where patients from community hospitals or other states are referred for specialty care. About half of our patients in the hospital have commercial insurance, while the other half is a mix of Medicare, Medicaid and uninsured. This creates a rich learning environment for our residents to gain experience in not only a diversity of medical conditions but also work with patients facing a variety of socioeconomic challenges.
Many residents have continuity clinic at Eastgate Public Health, which is a King County Public Health clinic. At this clinic, residents are able to practice many aspects of medicine and care for a diverse group of patients. Most of the patients are uninsured or underinsured, and there is a small minority who are homeless. Many of the patients have lived in other countries, which means that their medical issues can range from common chronic conditions such as diabetes to infectious disease less commonly seen. In addition, most of the patients do not speak English, but speak most commonly Spanish and Urdu, among others. This clinic site offers the opportunity to work with an underserved population who often present with complex medical conditions.