"Outstanding teachers in a remarkable educational environment"
Message from the Chair of Medicine
At Providence Portland Medical Center, our medical staff and faculty are committed to providing an educational environment of exceptional quality for our residents. Many of our educators are nationally and internationally recognized experts who have made important contributions to their fields. The medical center itself is a state-of-the-art facility with sophisticated information technology and patient care resources envied by many university healthcare systems.
But what most makes us unique is the high priority we place on medical education. We have been able to recruit a world-class faculty and medical staff because of our remarkable educational environment that encourages teaching and fosters learning. You will find at Providence not only talented educators who will advance your medical knowledge, but also valued mentors who will start you on a path toward a highly gratifying professional career.
We are looking for residents who want to make a difference for their communities and to learn the art of being a physician from dedicated teachers and committed physicians. We hope to see you in Portland. John Heffner, M.D.,Chair Medical Education Faculty
Residents are involved in the selection of new faculty members, who are chosen specifically for their skill and achievements in rigorous, evidence-based medical education.
An ongoing program of faculty development demonstrates our commitment to teaching excellence. Recent topics include:
Integrating evidence-based medicine into everyday teaching
Effective teaching in the inpatient setting
Learning together: systems-based practice
Skill-based education: ECG, procedures
Giving and receiving effective feedback
Resident Feedback is highly valued and eagerly sought
Both verbal and electronic (as part of our secure, on-line evaluation system) feedback are taken very seriously and used energetically to refine our teaching and curriculum
Focused faculty attention
An individual faculty mentor assists in resident development and achievement of learning goals
One faculty preceptor per three residents during continuity clinics
Collaborative practices have either a 1:1 or 1:2 faculty-resident ratio
Subspecialists work directly with residents on ward teams and in subspecialty rotations, providing highly individualized teaching based on direct observation
Residents choose a faculty mentor to help in the development of ACP presentations and other scholarly projects
Dedicated Teaching Rounds
Work rounds, designed to facilitate team clinical decision-making assigned patients, are separate from education rounds
Teaching rounds last 1½ hours, and are held three times weekly
Focus is on broader issues raised by patients currently under the care of the ward team, with emphasis on academic literature and principles
Residents
Participate in a lively, faculty-facilitated case discussion - Present evidence-based answers to selected clinical questions
Residents and faculty collaborate in teaching each other
Specified ambulatory topics
Informal, small-group discussion weekly before clinic
Teaching goals and materials for each session have been developed by faculty and are available on-line
2nd and 3rd year residents serve as educators at Morning Report
Participate in a lively, faculty-facilitated case discussion
Present an evidence-based answer to a chosen clinical question
Each senior resident presents a conference to faculty and residents in a Grand Rounds format
Residents are key contributors to medical student education who rotate on the wards, ICU, and subspecialty electives
Outpatient teaching
Preceptor involvement in the ambulatory setting is intense. There is one faculty preceptor per three residents during continuity clinics.
Collaborative practices have either a 1:1 or 1:2 faculty-resident ratio.
In continuity clinics, residents develop their own panel of patients for whom they become the primary care provider.
Didactic sessions are emphasized throughout the ambulatory experience. There is a 30-minute didactic session each day in the outpatient continuity clinic as well as weekly small group sessions on professionalism and behavioral medicine.
Mentorship
Each resident is assigned a faculty advisor who assists in resident development and achievement of learning goals.
Residents choose a faculty mentor to help in the development of ACP presentations and other scholarly projects.
Subspecialist Teaching
Since there are no fellows at Providence Portland, residents work directly with subspecialists on ward teams which fosters much individualized teaching and attention.
On subspecialty rotations, residents typically work 1:1 with the subspecialist. Consults, for example, are done directly with the subspecialist so there is plenty of opportunity to learn specialized physical exam techniques, clinical reasoning and targeted diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
Inpatient teaching
Work rounds and education rounds are separate. Work rounds are designed to facilitate team clinical decision-making on assigned patients. Education rounds last 1½ hours and are held three times each week. These rounds are focused on broader issues raised by patients under the care of the ward team, with a heavy emphasis on academic literature and principles of evidence-based medicine.
Morning Report is lively, participatory, academic and stimulating. It is based around a formal case presentation and a daily, resident-prepared literature review. All contributions are treated respectfully, and residents find the process educational and enjoyable.
On ward rotations, residents have the opportunity to work with both hospitalist and Medical Education attendings in the day-to-day management of hospitalized patients.
Resident as Educator
In outpatient didactics, residents and faculty alternate teaching during the small group discussion that precedes seeing patients. Teaching goals and materials for each session are available online
Second and third year residents serve as educators in Morning Report which includes a case discussion and the presentation of an evidence-based answer to a specific clinical question.
Each senior resident presents a capstone conference to faculty and residents in a Grand Rounds format.
During the EBM rotation, residents present a formal analysis to the core EBM faculty.
Residents are often key contributors to medical student education on the ward, in the ICU, and during subspecialty electives.
“The teaching at Providence is outstanding. The faculty have been recruited explicitly for their commitment to excellence in resident education. Their academic interests never take priority over their role as educators. The faculty are here because they love to teach - and it shows. Our faculty believes that everything we do as residents should be educational - and a lot of thought and planning are done to minimize scut work.”
Margaret Oppenheimer, M.D
At Providence Portland Medical Center, our medical staff and faculty are committed to providing an educational environment of exceptional quality for our residents. Many of our educators are nationally and internationally recognized experts who have made important contributions to their fields. The medical center itself is a state-of-the-art facility with sophisticated information technology and patient care resources envied by many university healthcare systems.
