Curriculum, Didactics and Training

Morning Report

Morning Report is a cornerstone of resident education, attended by all residents and medical students on general ward rotations, as well as other residents when feasible. Led by a faculty member—typically Dr. Hosea—this conference takes place each weekday morning. The sessions are highly interactive, with one or two cases discussed in-depth by the entire group. The focus is on clinical reasoning and integration, encouraging residents to engage in critical thinking rather than merely focusing on the minute details.

Every Thursday, Dr. Fitzgibbons leads an engaging AI-powered Morning Report, where residents, faculty, and students collaborate in developing differential diagnoses and clinical reasoning through advanced AI tools. This session is marked by high levels of participation and creative problem-solving, fostering a dynamic learning environment where the intersection of technology and clinical medicine is explored in real-time.

Noon Conferences

Noon Conferences occur each weekday and are a key educational opportunity for residents. These conferences feature nationally and locally prominent speakers, as well as presentations by residents on topics in Internal Medicine, its subspecialties, and other core areas of medical practice.

The Noon Conference series is structured as follows:

  • Mondays and Tuesdays: Specialist lectures
  • Wednesdays: Academic workshops, Board preparation, Journal Club
  • Thursdays and Fridays: Morbidity & Mortality, MythBusters, and Medicine Grand Rounds (MGR) Conferences

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 Dr. Jared Perrin, Associate Program Director of Ambulatory Care, the Ambulatory Week Didactic Sessions offer residents protected time dedicated to ambulatory care education. These sessions provide in-depth training on the essentials of outpatient medicine, giving residents an opportunity to refine their skills in a focused environment.

Longitudinal Mentorship Program

During Ambulatory Week, residents are paired with specialists in their areas of interest for a morning or afternoon shift, helping to foster valuable mentor-mentee relationships throughout their residency.

Training Sites and Environment

The Santa Barbara community provides an excellent setting for medical training, offering comprehensive and state-of-the-art healthcare services. Highlights include:

  • A high-volume invasive cardiology and cardiac surgery program
  • Cutting-edge radiology technology
  • A 20-bed MICU and 21-bed SICU, along with separate telemetry units
  • A busy Emergency Department with more than 50,000 visits annually
  • A Level I Trauma Center
  • Active General Surgery and Diagnostic Radiology Residency programs

The spirit of collaboration and mutual support among all residency programs is a hallmark of the training environment.

Clinical training sites for the Internal Medicine Residency Program include inpatient ward teams, ICU teams, Santa Barbara County Health Care Center outpatient clinics, and other community-based sites.

Rotations

General Acute Care Ward Rotations

Inpatient resident teams care for a diverse and underserved patient population, providing residents with a highly educational experience. These rotations offer the opportunity to engage with a wide variety of clinical cases that enhance learning and broaden medical knowledge.

Intensive Care Unit Rotation

Led by Dr. Natalie Achamallah, Director of Critical Care Education, the ICU resident team serves as the primary care providers for MICU patients. Dr. Achamallah actively participates in daily rounds and teaching, offering in-depth, hands-on education to the team.

POCUS

An elective in Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS), led by Dr. Lisa Singh, Director of Procedural Education at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, is offered four times annually in small group settings. This provides residents with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in this vital skill.

Electives

Residents have the opportunity to select from a variety of electives or arrange independent rotations with approval from the program director. Clinical research opportunities are also encouraged and can be pursued independently.

Subspecialty rotations typically last 2–4 weeks and are conducted in collaboration with a preceptor of the resident’s choice. During these rotations, residents work closely with their preceptor, taking on significant responsibility for the care of private patients. They also manage consultations at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital under the supervision of their preceptor. These rotations offer residents an exceptional opportunity to learn outpatient procedures commonly performed by specialists.

Rotations are available in Santa Barbara in many specialty and 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
  • Pediatrics
  • Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation 
  • POCUS
  • Psychiatry
  • Pulmonary Medicine
  • Radiology
  • Rheumatology
  • Sports Medicine
  • Women's Health and Office Gynecology