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Didactics

Every Thursday from 1 to 5 PM, protected from clinical duties, with lunch.

Diamond Lake in October, clouds reflected on the water and a snowy peak above the far shore
Diamond Lake in October

Didactics are every Thursday afternoon from 1:00 to 5:00 PM. Residents step away from clinical duties for education, skills practice, and time with co-residents and faculty. Lunch is provided. The curriculum complements the clinical rotations and covers the breadth of family medicine.

Clinical education

Sessions take several forms: lectures, case discussions, journal club, board review, and hands-on workshops. Local specialists and community physicians teach sessions too. Topics include:

  • Primary care and outpatient medicine

  • Hospital medicine

  • Pediatrics

  • Obstetrics and gynecology

  • Preventive medicine

  • Pulmonary medicine

  • ECG interpretation with a local cardiologist

  • Case-based clinical discussions

  • Journal club

  • Resident-led teaching sessions

Procedure workshops

Through the year, residents practice procedures in hands-on workshops:

  • Women's health procedures

  • Nexplanon insertion and removal

  • Circumcision

  • Vasectomy

  • Dermatology skills

  • Musculoskeletal procedures

  • Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS)

  • Intubation and airway management

  • Central line placement

  • Wilderness medicine

  • Orthopedic skills and splinting

  • Lifestyle medicine

  • Osteopathic manipulative medicine

Beyond clinical medicine

  • Practice management

  • CV development

  • Financial literacy

  • Networking and recruiting events

  • Medicolegal topics

  • Interviewing

  • Contract negotiation

Wellness and community

Didactics also hold time for residents to be together outside the clinic:

  • Group hikes

  • Holiday gatherings

  • Resident social events

  • Art and creative activities

  • Visits to local businesses

  • U-pick fruit farms

Snow-covered Mount Bailey above the firs on the shore of Diamond Lake in October, reflected in the still water
Mount Bailey over Diamond Lake in October