Curriculum
The benefit of dual training in medicine and dermatology is not limited to the development of one’s ultimate career path. This combined training also allows for residents to act as educators to peers within both respective departments. Attendance at medicine morning report, grand rounds and other required medical subspecialty conferences, as well as dermatology morning didactics and grand rounds, will be expected per the core combined curriculum. Other expectations are detailed by year below.
Year 1
The first year of training allows the resident to develop a strong background in internal medicine. Specifically, the intern learns to:
- Recognize acuity of illness and manage common inpatient diagnoses
- Manage individual cases and initiate interventions
- Develop efficiency and multitasking skills
- Participate in learning opportunities oriented toward a first-year house officer
- Teach medical students
All 13 blocks of Year 1 are spent rotating through internal medicine. This includes inpatient rotations at Northwestern as well as electives (which can be inpatient or outpatient). Rotations are mostly based at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, but residents also rotate at the Jesse Brown VA hospital and outpatient VA clinic in Streeterville. Residents will have a weekly medicine resident continuity clinic. Residents can choose between the VA outpatient clinic in Streeterville or Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Continuity clinics are cancelled during VA blocks, ICU blocks, and during call days.
Year 2
The second year of the program provides an emphasis in dermatology. The resident learns to:
- Understand the common dermatological manifestations of systemic diseases
- Has a broad experience in diagnosing and managing dermatologic disorders
- Develops basic skills in dermatologic surgery, dermatopathology and clinical-pathological correlations
11 of 13 blocks of Year 2 are spent rotating through dermatology with an emphasis on time spent in general dermatology clinics; 2 blocks are spent rotating through internal medicine. Residents not only continue their medicine continuity clinic, but also add additional dermatology continuity clinics at the Jesse Brown VA and at Northwestern, both of which occur every other week
Medicine PGY-2 Lecture:
Med-Derm residents will be expected to present a topic of their choosing at the noontime PGY-2 Medicine Lecture Series.
Dermatology Lectures:
Residents will be expected to give several lectures to dermatology residents as part of dermatology morning didactics as well as present complex cases at Grand Rounds. Residents will also be expect to present one case at the Northwestern-hosted Chicago Dermatological Society meeting.
Years 3, 4, and 5
The upper-level years are divided equally between the two departments. The resident learns to:
- Manage patients with complex dermatologic conditions
- Function as a senior resident in both programs
- Be actively involved in the education of junior and senior medical students
- Perform research, with dedicated time on both medicine and dermatology for doing so
Med-Derm Morning Reports:
Starting PGY-3 year, residents are expected to give one Med-Derm morning report each year focusing on a complex case with valuable teaching points relevant to residents in both programs.
Dermatology Lectures:
Residents will be expected to give several lectures to dermatology residents as part of dermatology morning didactics, including consult-focused lectures reviewing interesting inpatient dermatology cases, as well as present complex cases at Grand Rounds. PGY-3 residents are also expected to present one case at the Northwestern-hosted Chicago Dermatological Society meeting.
Continuity Clinic:
Residents continue medicine continuity clinic until the end of the PGY-3 year. Residents maintain dermatology continuity clinics from PGY2 year until the end of residency, allowing for extensive continuity and graduated autonomy.