Training Overview: Clinical

clincal trainingWe are proud to train outstanding clinicians. We ensure that all trainees gain the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to provide great care to future patients in any setting. We believe that this includes medical knowledge, the knowledge of social determinants of health and how these impact health, advanced physical exam skills, advanced diagnostic reasoning skills, evidence-based medicine knowledge and skills, a focus on high value care, the ability to work within an interprofessional team, and an understanding and application of science – and, most importantly, the ability to bring each of these pieces in an integrated way to the bedside in a patient- and team-centered manner.

A few highlights of our clinical training program:

  • Innovative education program – our program was one of the first programs to embrace milestone-based training in our learner-manager-teacher model. We are proud that our residents move through this transition and own their advancement as academic clinician educators by mapping their progress and building their portfolios as they go!
  • Innovative structures for training – our tandem block schedule is “one of a kind” and was uniquely designed to optimize the balance between training in the inpatient and ambulatory setting ensuring a focused, dedicated curriculum in each of these areas. Our residents have also found that it helps them to optimize their work-life integration – and better prepares them for their ultimate jobs. In addition, our program embraces new modes of education and encourages creativity in our faculty and our residents.
  • State of the art medical facilities across locations of VCUHealth and McGuire VA Medical Center where the highest quality of care is delivered and recognized with national honors for safety and quality such as the AHA-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize.  In these facilities, we serve an incredibly diverse patient population, who present with a widespread spectrum of disease and illness. If you can read about it, you will likely see it! - and more!
  • Partnering to further innovation in the delivery of clinical care – from our recent work with structured interdisciplinary rounding to pilots in unit-based care, we partner closely with our healthcare team members to model cutting edge care.
  • Emphasis on bringing science to the bedside using mechanistic thinking – a comfort with asking “why” and seeking to understand the pathophysiology behind clinical presentations and therapeutic interventions is fostered by faculty and through dedicated curricular innovations.  Residents and interns engage in deliberate practice of mechanistic thinking during morning reports and on rounds.  Our program also has a five-day, offsite Immersive Experience in Physiology Course where end-of-year interns or early second years engage in the scientific process through experiments in physiology with clinical applications.