The Duke Family Medicine Residency Program has a tradition known as Winter Orientation. During this time each January, our first-year residents (PGY 1’s) all return from their various rotations and locations to spend two weeks dedicated to the work of the Department of Community and Family Medicine within the Durham community.
Also during this time, residents begin preparing for their upcoming rotations in obstetrics, gynecology, newborn nursery and pediatrics. They will certify in both Pediatric Advanced Life Support and the Neonatal Resuscitation Program, both standardized programs and requirements for their upcoming rotations.
They will also spend time in a variety of learning activities including didactic and interactive learning sessions, as well as procedural workshops which focus on maternal and child health. This time allows our PGY 1’s to reconnect with friends and colleagues they may not have seen in the preceding months, while at the same time brushing up on skills or learning new information.
Community focus
As part of their community focus, the residents either make initial or return visits to community agencies that partner to improve the health of Durham residents. Community agencies the residents visit include:
- Durham County Department of Public Health
- El Centro Hispano
- El Futuro
- Holton Career & Resource Center
- Lincoln Community Health Center
- TROSA
- Urban Ministries of Durham
Resident Retreat
An additional highlight of Winter Orientation is the Resident Retreat. This is a resident-only weekend event held off campus. It is true time off — no pagers allowed — which is a rarity in resident training.
Although the weekend is primarily spent in team building, it also provides the residents an opportunity to discuss current and potential new ventures which are then discussed further during a subsequent resident and faculty gathering.
Donna M. Tuccero is associate program director of the Duke Family Medicine Residency Program. Email donna.tuccero@dm.duke.eduwith questions.
Editor’s note: A member of the Duke Family Medicine Residency Program leadership team guest blogs every month.