Our Training Program has 10 specific educational goals:

 
1. Provision of a structured educational environment using a carefully designed curriculum to guide and maximize intellectual development of the resident.  Medical education must not be static, and we strive to improve our program annually.  Feedback from our residents is a critical component of this self-evaluation.

2.  Provision of an appropriate balance of inpatient, critical care, and ambulatory training experiences.  Over the past 9 years we have greatly expanded training in ambulatory care internal medicine. However, we have maintained our longtime commitment to critical care training, as basic expertise in this field remains important to residents who will practice in selected subspecialties, in many managed care settings, or as hospitalists in rural or smaller community hospitals.

3.  Residents will have sufficient exposure to each of the recognized medical subspecialties so as to become fully familiar with the role and contribution of each to effective patient care.  Similar exposure will be provided in the disciplines of neurology, psychiatry, rehabilitation medicine, as well as in  relevant surgical subspecialty disciplines.  Because the U.S. population is progressively aging, adequate training in geriatric medicine is an essential prerequisite for the provision of effective primary care; our program has provided formal, mandatory geriatrics training since 1979, one of the first training programs to do so.

4.  Provision of the opportunity to function within the context of a team approach to patient care through interacting effectively with physicians of other disciplines, mid-level practitioners (ie. nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants), nursing staff, social services, and other paramedical personnel.  The University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics integrates mid-level practitioners into patient care on the inpatient wards, in the emergency room, and in the outpatient clinics so that residents may acquire necessary experience in this increasingly important relationship.

5.  Provision of residents with graded responsibility for patient care during the years of residency such that there is an appropriate balance between supervised training, autonomy, and individual responsibility.

6.  Development of the skills and principles of efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and managed care, to be fully prepared to enter the current health care environment.

7.  Development of the skills to access and interpret medical information using electronic media, computer information systems, and the principles of evidence-based medicine.

8.  Development of the skills and habits necessary for life-long learning and continuing medical education, but also skills to participate effectively in quality improvement at the level of group practice and the hospital.

9.  Provision of careful and fair evaluation of resident performance, with appropriate feedback, guidance, and counseling to assure appropriate development in all areas of training and professional behavior.

10.  Development of skills in humanism, a professional attitude and behavior, a strong sense of ethics, and responsibility and commitment to the care of patients and the practice of medicine.