Curriculum

Our curriculum is designed to develop the family physician's skills as a leader and community advocate, as well as in the management of acute and chronic diseases. We emphasize a “clinic first” curriculum that prioritizes continuity of care and longitudinal relationships with patients. Residents are immersed early and consistently in outpatient primary care, reinforcing their identity as family physicians from the start.

Intern year includes foundational inpatient experiences, while the second and third years are increasingly focused on ambulatory care. The curriculum is formally evaluated by residents and faculty annually, allowing for continual refinement and enhancement of the educational experience.

Outpatient training takes place at the Family Care Center at Evanston Hospital—a novel residency clinic that empowers residents to take an active role in shaping its evolution. This setting offers a unique opportunity to contribute innovative ideas, influence clinic development, and exercise meaningful autonomy, ensuring each resident’s voice drives real, lasting impact.

What is the 2x2 curriculum?

Traditionally, family medicine residents rotate through month-long inpatient and specialty rotations with only a few days of clinic each week. Our program takes a clinic-first approach, ensuring that residents—especially in their second and third years—spend consistent, protected time in their continuity clinic. This model prioritizes relationship-based care and reinforces residents’ identity as primary care physicians. While PGY1 residents follow a more traditional structure with one half- or full-day of clinic per week, they are gradually introduced to increased outpatient responsibilities to prepare them for the clinic-centered focus in later years.