Curriculum Overview
Our curriculum was designed to meet the needs of family physicians that practice in remote and isolated Alaskan communities. Alaskan bush communities differ greatly from many rural communities of the lower 48 states and our areas of emphasis reflect this. We encourage our residents to think freely so they will feel comfortable managing patients without rapid specialist access other than by telephone. Our faculty, who all have longstanding experience with the Alaskan rural and urban needs, continually revise and improve the curriculum based on the needs and input of the residents. The close faculty resident relationship has helped to maximize resident learning while minimizing those parts of the curriculum that are ineffective in meeting their goals.
See below for a breakdown of the curriculum by year or go to Core Rotations for detailed descriptions of our rotations.
Rotations Offered | Weeks on Service Intern Year | Weeks on Service 2nd Year | Weeks on Service 3rd Year |
Ambulatory: Dedicated outpatient clinical rotation at the FMP site | 4 | 2 | 4 |
Community and Ambulatory Medicine (CAM): This rotation serves as an introduction to the FMP site and the patient centered medical home and is composed of outpatient clinic sessions and didactic sessions. Interns will have a relaxed schedule with dedicated preceptors and peer level support during the first block of their residency. Didactic presentations review the EHR, billing and coding, the interdisciplinary care team, and other primary care topics. | 4 | ||
Cardiology: Composed of time with the inpatient cardiology team as well as the outpatient cardiology clinic seeing general new referrals. Includes continuity clinic at the FMP site. | 2 | ||
Critical Care (ICU): Teams of 4 residents. Work under dedicated intensivists at the hospital. Procedural opportunities available. | 4 | ||
Dermatology: Composed of time with community dermatology clinics and sometimes includes online modules. Includes continuity clinic at the FMP site. | 2 | ||
Elective: 6+ months over 3 years. Involves time in continuity clinic at the FMP site; rural electives exclude time at FMP site | 4 | 16 | |
Adult Emergency Medicine: These are staffed by ER physicians. R1 Year includes time at a community ER site (Soldotna, Fairbanks are the common rural options, ANMC ER for a local option). This rotation does not include clinic at the FMP site. Third Year includes Two 2-week blocks at the PAMC ER, the Level 2 Trauma Center for the state. Includes clinic at the FMP site and often includes cross-coverage call on the inpatient medicine service on the weekend. | 2 | 4 | |
Pediatric Emergency Medicine: Staffed by ER physicians, some of which have specialty Peds EM training. This rotation includes clinic at the FMP site and often includes cross-coverage call on the inpatient pediatrics service on the weekend. | 4 | ||
Geriatrics: Includes time at a local ALF doing home visits on site, time with local hospice teams, and time in the PAMC wound care clinic. There is dedicated time for scholarly activity during this rotation and many residents participate in a GEM article review. This rotation includes clinic at the FMP site and often includes cross-coverage call on the medicine service on the weekend. | 4 | ||
Gynecology: Includes time in our internal OBGYN consult clinic at the FMP site working with the OB faculty and a local OBGYN to address concerns within our own clinic panel. Additionally, includes time with community OBGYN and/or GYN/ONC clinic. This rotation includes time at the FMP site and often includes cross-coverage call on the OB service on the weekend. | Linked to Ambulatory Clinic rotations. | 4 | |
Inpatient Pediatrics: Staff the inpatient pediatrics service at PAMC which is run by dedicated pediatric hospitalists. There are often medical students on this rotation. This rotation includes clinic time at the FMP site. (2 weeks days/2 weeks nights) | 4 | 4 | |
Medicine (Inpatient): Staffed by primarily full scope FM physicians, majority of which are core faculty at the residency. The service keeps a dynamic cap to grow the census through the year as the teams mature. Max census is usually 15-18 patients for 2 interns and 1 senior, but this can go higher depending on the milieu and the team. There are usually medical students on this rotation. This rotation includes clinic time at the FMP site and includes night and weekend coverage. Interns serve as the primary clinician for their panel of patients with management of the team being the primary responsibility of the senior resident. | 16 | Some cross coverage. | 10 |
Musculoskeletal (Ortho): 2-week block in R1 year. Includes clinic time at the FMP site. | 2 | ||
Obstetrics: These rotations are dedicated time on L&D, OB Triage, postpartum, and antepartum units. Staffed by core FM OB faculty and combination of community OBGYN and CNM faculty. R2 serves as the senior on the rotation. | 8 (6 weeks on days, 2 weeks on nights) | 8 (6 weeks on days, 2 weeks on nights) | |
Outpatient Pediatrics: R1 year includes time at community outpatient peds clinics, Alaska Cares (forensic pediatric clinic), and pediatric therapies (PT/OT/SLP). Second year includes time at a single primary care site, typically at Southcentral Foundation for time with AK Native beneficiaries and the IHS system. | 4 | 4 | |
Health Systems and Practice Management: Focuses on functioning within larger health systems. Includes didactic experiences meant to enhance the resident’s understanding of functioning within larger health systems. Includes dedicated time for work on QI project. Rotation is led by the Medical Director of the FMP site. This rotation includes clinic time at the FMP site. | 2 | ||
Psychology: Focuses on management of substance use disorders and integrated behavioral health. | 4 | ||
Rural and Austere Medicine (RAM): Covers winter survival skills, field triage, and other rural medicine topics. 2-week rotation in R1 year paired with TCM. There is the option of participating in components of this rotation as a facilitator/peer teacher in R3 year, but this is not required. Additional, optional opportunities include the Marine Wilderness Medicine experience in the Spring/early summer. | 2 | 2 | |
Surgery: Includes time with general surgery/trauma surgery service as well as ATLS experience and floor management of surgical and postoperative patients. This rotation includes clinic time at the FMP site. | 2 | ||
Transcultural and Community Medicine (TCM): Uses a combination of didactic and experiential learning opportunities to deepen resident’s understanding of the diversity of our Anchorage community as well as that of our Alaskan community more broadly. This rotation is led by the behavioral health faculty of the residency. | 2 |