Curriculum, Didactics and Training

Morning Report

Morning Report is attended by all residents and medical students on general ward rotations, as well as by other residents when feasible. It is led by a faculty member, customarily Dr. Hosea, and occurs each weekday morning. In a very participatory manner, one or two cases are discussed by the entire group. The focus is on clinical analysis and integration rather than upon dissecting details.

Noon Conferences

Noon Conferences for residents are held each weekday. These conferences feature nationally or locally prominent speakers, as well as residents presenting on topics covering Internal Medicine and its subspecialties and other core topics.

The Noon Conference Series includes specialist lectures on Mondays and Tuesdays, academic lectures on Wednesdays, and Morbidity & Mortality, MythBusters and MGR Conferences on Thursdays and Fridays.

Rotations

General Acute Care Ward Rotations

Inpatient resident teams care for diverse members of the community, with approximately 5 percent private and 95 percent non-private patients.

Intensive Care Unit Rotation

Natalie Achamallah, MD, leads a dedicated ICU resident team, which serves as the primary caregivers for MICU patients. Dr. Achamallah attends with the team and provides extensive rounds and teaching on a daily basis.

Graduate Medical Education (GME) Programs

Video - Medical Residency Program at Cottage Health

With Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs in General Surgery, Diagnostic Radiology, Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, physicians in training care for diverse patient populations in both outpatient clinics and hospital settings.

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Ambulatory Week Didactic Sessions

Led by Co-Director of Ambulatory Care, Dr. Jared Perrin, the Ambulatory Week Didactic Sessions offer residents protected time dedicated to ambulatory care.

Longitudinal Mentorship Program

During ambulatory week, Internal Medicine residents are connected with a specialist in a field of their interest for a morning or afternoon shift to help them build a mentor relationship during their time in residency.

Training Sites and Environment

The level of care in the Santa Barbara community is comprehensive and leading-edge. Available services include a high-volume invasive cardiology and cardiac surgery program, state-of-the-art radiology technology, a 20-bed MICU and 21-bed SICU (as well as separate telemetry units), a busy Emergency Department with more than 50,000 visits per year, a Trauma team with Level I Trauma Center designation, and active General Surgery and Diagnostic Radiology Residency programs. A strong feeling of collaboration and mutual support exists among all the residency programs.

Clinical sites for the Internal Medicine Residency Program include Inpatient Wards Teams, ICU Teams, Santa Barbara County Health Care Center outpatient clinics and other community clinic sites.

POCUS

An elective led by Lisa Singh, MD, Director of Procedural Education at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Point-of-Care Ultrasound is offered four times every six months in small groups.

Electives

Electives can be selected from the following areas or arranged independently with approval from the program director. Clinical research is also encouraged and can be independently arranged.

Subspecialty rotations are usually two to four weeks in duration. Residents work closely with a preceptor of their choice, spending the vast majority of their time in the private office of the preceptor. While there, the resident assumes significant responsibility for the care of private patients. The resident also performs initial evaluations and ongoing care of consultations at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital under the supervision of the preceptor. These rotations provide the resident with an excellent opportunity to learn the outpatient procedures regularly performed by specialists.

Rotations are available in Santa Barbara in all subspecialty areas.

  • Addiction Medicine
  • Allergy and Immunology
  • Anesthesiology
  • Cardiology
  • Dermatology
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Endocrinology and Metabolism
  • Gastroenterology
  • Geriatrics
  • Hematology/Oncology
  • Infectious Disease (including HIV medicine)
  • Nephrology
  • Neurology
  • Ophthalmology
  • Orthopedics
  • Otolaryngology
  • Palliative Care and Pain Management
  • Pathology
  • Pediatrics
  • Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation 
  • POCUS
  • Psychiatry
  • Pulmonary Medicine
  • Radiology
  • Rheumatology
  • Sports Medicine
  • Women's Health and Office Gynecology