Career Development
Due to our residents having a wide range of clinical interests, we have designed our program to create maximum flexibility to allow residents to achieve their unique future goals including matching into competitive Fellowship Programs
- Quarterly Career & Fellowship Meetings with Program Director: Meetings are divided into individual subspecialties (i.e. Sports, Pain, Interventional Spine, Neurorehabilitation). Meetings involve discussing extra-curricular opportunities, updates in fellowship / job application process, CV building, coordination of research, mentorship, etc towards matching into their desired field.
- Mentorship: Residents are encourage to have both a "Life Mentor" (i.e. gives guidance on work-life balance, wellness, etc) and a "Career Mentor" (i.e. someone to guide to match into a Fellowship). Residents are given freedom to chose their own mentor regardless of location, discipline in medicine, etc. They are required meet with at least one of their mentors twice a year (spring and fall). Mentors are easy to find for our residents due to our approachable faculty, expansive Alumni Network including multiple alumni working in the Chicagoland area, and our location within a large metropolitan area
- Flexible Schedule with "Mini-Fellowship" and "Homeroom" Clinic the last 4 months of Residency
- Secondary Degrees and Certifications (Masters in Health Systems Management, Lifestyle Medicine Certification, Masters Program, Health Equity)
Flexible Schedule with "Mini-Fellowship Program"
- To maximize the residents ability to match into a fellowship and be prepared for their career, we have created a flexible schedule to allows up to 3 electives during PGY-3 year to complete 'Audition Electives'
- Residents have a total of 4 elective during their PGY3-4 years. They are able to flex as many of their elective months to the end of residency to create a 'mini-fellowship' prior to starting work, fellowship, etc
- When creating a 'Mini-Fellowship," Residents create 2 to 4 week experiences within a field of interest with an example as noted below
Sub-Attending in Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation or Subacute Rehabilitation with IRC
à la carte rotation with a mix of Procedural Clinics (i.e. Botox, Ultrasound-Guided Injections) or Specialty Clinics (i.e. TBI, Prosthetics, Wheelchair)
Movement Disorders, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatology, Radiology (MSK or Neuro)
Specialized time spent with providers who hold dual roles in administration (i.e. Chief Medical Officer, Medical Director, Residency Director)
Homeroom Clinics
- During the last 4 months of the year, the residents self-designate a 'Homeroom' which is a half-day clinic with a provider who can mentor them into the next phase of their career. The resident would be excused from clinical duties from their primary rotation to attend this clinic weekly during the last 4 months until graduation.
- The concept is to allow the residents to have final mentorship from someone they trust and/or learn best from in addition to being someone who has a practice similar to their future career goals
- The hope is that the residents not only receive clinical guidance but also are given instruction on work-life balance, billing/coding, navigating administrative issues, etc
- Example: A resident with an interested in General Rehabilitation in their future will spend every Wednesday Afternoon for 4 months with Dr. Patton in his clinic that has a big O&P component
- Example: A resident going into a spine practice can spend half days in Fluoroscopy suite with Dr. Dua or Dr. Wu for 4 months prior to the start of Fellowship to sharpen their procedural skills
Secondary Degrees
Residents have opportunity to complete secondary degrees via Rush Graduate College. Residents typically complete these programs during PGY3-4 years
Certification Programs
Residents can also broaden their clinical education by becoming certified in
The Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum can be integrated into the existing core rotation for PGY3-4 residency curriculum.
Lifestyle Medicine is a medical specialty that focuses on evidence-based therapeutic lifestyle interventions as the primary modality in treating chronic diseases such as (but not limited to) cardiovascular disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Residents who complete the curriculum will achieve a level of credibility, knowledge and skills in counseling and coaching their patients on addressing their concerns through lifestyle interventions and behavioral changes. Learn more at https://lifestylemedicine.org/residency-lmrc/
Residents enrolled in the program are required to complete online modules and then practice these skills during their clinical rotations. The program is overseen by Dr. Courtney Stefanski with support from our extended faculty. After completion of requirements, residents are eligible to take the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine certification exam.
Alumni Network
Our success in Fellowship matching could not be done without the assistance of our active Alumni Network who continue to provide mentorship well after their graduation. Residents meet Alumni via our Annual Alumni event at the AAPM&R and/or via introduction by the Program as they demonstrate interest in a career path shared with a former alumnus.
Residency Class in 2015. Pictured: The late Barbara Cook who took special care of each and every resident of hers for over 20+ years. We miss your kindness, smile, and guidance
Our Residents are supported with quarterly meetings with the Program Director and Alumni to discuss their progress towards their application for fellowship. Through the residents hard work, we are pleased to display our historical Fellowship Match results!