Overview
The Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency curriculum is designed to prepare residents for the full scope of family medicine through comprehensive clinical training, progressive responsibility and meaningful mentorship. Residents gain hands-on experience across inpatient and outpatient medicine, obstetrics, procedures and community health while caring for diverse patient populations throughout West Alabama.
Progressive Responsibility
At the Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency, residents assume increasing clinical responsibility throughout training, building the confidence, judgment and leadership skills needed for independent practice. With each year of residency, residents take on more complex patient care, greater decision-making responsibilities and expanded leadership roles within the health care team.
PGY-1: Building the Foundation
Develop core clinical skills through hands-on experiences in inpatient medicine, obstetrics, pediatrics, emergency medicine and in a continuity clinic. Residents learn to manage a diverse patient population while establishing a strong foundation in comprehensive family medicine.
PGY-2: Expanding Clinical Expertise
Gain greater autonomy in patient care, refine procedural skills and manage increasingly complex medical conditions. Residents strengthen their leadership abilities while serving as mentors and role models for junior learners.
PGY-3: Preparing for Independent Practice
Function with advanced clinical responsibility while leading health care teams, mentoring residents and medical students, and preparing for the transition to practice or fellowship training. Graduates leave equipped to provide high-quality, patient-centered care in a variety of settings.
Procedural Training
Procedural competence is an integral part of the Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency educational experience. Residents gain hands-on experience with a variety of office-based, inpatient and women’s health procedures while caring for diverse patient populations. Through dedicated faculty supervision and progressive responsibility, residents develop the skills and confidence to perform procedures that enhance the breadth and quality of care they provide.
Procedural experience may include:
- Women’s health procedures
- Musculoskeletal injections
- Dermatologic procedures
- Inpatient procedures
- Newborn care procedures
- Point-of-care ultrasound opportunities (if applicable)
Rotations
Each year of training is carefully designed to build upon the last, offering a broad range of rotations, hands-on experiences and specialty exposures that equip residents with the skills, confidence and adaptability to thrive in most clinical settings. The academic year is divided into eight blocks (each six weeks) that are further split into three-week increments.
Below is a snapshot of how training evolves year by year – comprehensive, immersive and always patient-centered.
PGY-1 Rotations
Call Rotations
- Family Medicine Inpatient (12 weeks)
- Medicine Night Float (three weeks)
- Inpatient OB/GYN (six weeks)
- OB Night Float (three weeks)
- Inpatient Pediatrics (three weeks)
- Ambulatory Pediatrics (six weeks)
- Geriatrics (six weeks)
Non-Call Rotations
- EKG/Vent (three weeks)
- Surgery (three weeks)
- Family Medicine Clinic (three weeks)
PGY-2 and PGY-3 Rotations
Call Rotations
- Family Medicine Inpatient (18 weeks)
- Medicine Night Float (three weeks)
- Inpatient OB/GYN (three weeks)
- GYN Clinic (three weeks)
- OB Night Float (three weeks)
- Ambulatory Pediatrics (three weeks)
- Inpatient Pediatrics (three weeks)
- Pediatric Night Float (three weeks)
Non-Call Rotations
- Emergency Medicine (six weeks total: three in PGY-2, three in PGY-3)
- Orthopedics (three weeks)
- Sports Medicine (three weeks)
- Psychiatry (three weeks)
- Rural Medicine at UMC-Demopolis (three weeks)
- Neurology/Cardiology (three weeks)
- ENT/Urology/Ophthalmology (three weeks)
- Practice Management/Community Medicine (three weeks)
- Electives (27 weeks split between PGY-2 and PGY-3)
Electives
Elective rotations provide residents with the flexibility to explore individual interests, expand clinical expertise and tailor training to their career goals. Whether preparing for fellowships, advancing their procedural experience or delving into a specialized area of family medicine, residents have opportunities to customize their educational experience.
In addition to the list below, residents can create their own elective that is focused on a particular area of interest. Recently, we have had residents successfully create electives in sleep medicine and lifestyle medicine.
- Anatomy (cadaver lab)
- Behavioral health
- Dermatology
- EKG
- Endoscopy
- ICU
- Lifestyle medicine
- Office lab medicine
- Palliative care
- POCUS/BSUS
- Radiology
- Research
- Rheumatology
- Wellness
- Wound care
Tracks
For residents seeking focused training in a particular area of practice, the Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency offers specialized tracks that provide enhanced clinical experiences, dedicated mentorship and advanced procedural training. These opportunities allow residents to tailor their education to their career goals while maintaining the breadth of full-spectrum family medicine.
Advanced OB
Designed for residents interested in maternity care and women’s health, this track offers immersive obstetrical training, procedural experience and advanced clinical exposure to prepare graduates to provide comprehensive pregnancy, delivery, postpartum and newborn care. Participation is available during the PGY-2 and PGY-3 years and is based on successful completion of pre-requirements.
Hospitalist
Designed for residents interested in hospital medicine, this track offers immersive inpatient training, procedural experience and leadership opportunities to prepare graduates for success as hospitalists. Offered during the PGY-2 and PGY-3 years, participation is based on demonstrated interest, performance and commitment to inpatient medicine.