Director's Welcome

At the Saint Joseph Hospital Family Medicine Program, affiliated with the University of Illinois College of Medicine, we have developed a unique environment to study Family Medicine. Our goal is to train physicians capable of providing comprehensive care of patients and families. We train residents in the true Hippocratic tradition using didactic, peer and clinical education. This translates into an atmosphere that facilitates original thought and intense scientific study.

Concurrently, residents are encouraged to develop interests outside the parameters of traditional hospital-based education. A balance of extensive clinical exposure coupled with adequate time for personal study and recreation is assured. Humane treatment of residents is not a catch phrase - it is a mandate.

Located in an academic community hospital, the Saint Joseph Hospital program is able to offer what we feel is the best venue for inpatient training in Family Medicine. The Family Medicine Teaching Service admits patients of Family Practice residents and is overseen by Family Medicine physicians. The Service may include patients from the areas of Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Internal Medicine. A wide range of specialists are available for consultation and teaching. These factors guarantee each resident receives adequate exposure to a diverse range of experiences.

At the core of the Saint Joseph Hospital program is an outpatient training model office practice that simulates, as nearly as possible, a working group practice. From day one, residents function as primary care physicians as they begin to follow the families who will constitute their practice for the next three years. Reflecting the community served by Saint Joseph Hospital, patients represent diverse cultures and socioeconomic groups. The program ensures that residents learn patient and practice management skills. Upon graduation, residents of the Saint Joseph Hospital program make an easy transition into "the real world." They utilize the skills they developed in the model office to assist them in assuming an attending practice.

Recent additions to Saint Joseph Hospital's outpatient site have ensured comprehensive exposure to and training in medical computer technology. Additionally, residents have the opportunity to use Dragon Natural Speaking to create and maintain medical records.

In an effort to provide residents with a mechanism to access patient information quickly, organize their schedule, and provide comprehensive medical data at a patient's bedside, all interns who match in the program are given a handheld personal data assistant (PDA). Each PDA is able to access the Palm Operating System (i.e. Palm Pilot, Visor, TRGpro) and is equipped with useful medical software. Current program residents provide basic instruction to ensure interns are comfortable using their PDAs and related software.

Luis T. Garcia, M.D.
Program Director
Family Medicine Residency