Career Planning
Career Development and Mentoring
Career development for our residents is an important emphasis of the program. While our graduates enter a wide variety of eventual careers, we support the decision-making process in the following ways:
The mentorship program for primary care residents has five main components:
- PC Buddy / Peer Mentorship:
Incoming PC interns are paired with a PC third-year resident. This allows general guidance on hospital, Denver life or anything else that peer mentorship when able. - GIM Faculty Mentorship:
Interns have an abundance of faculty available for mentorship. Mentors will be paired as desired by the residents. The residents meet with their mentors to review performance, progress, career goals etc. - Program Director Mentorship:
Interns will meet with the Primary Care Program Director or Assistant Director at a minimum of twice per year. At these meetings, evaluations, career planning and program requirements will be reviewed. More frequent meetings are encouraged as desired. - Coaching Program:
The Clinical Coaching Program is an optional program offered to PC residents only. An expert physician life coach helps each class of participants examine professional identity and decisionmaking towards goals - Research Mentorship:
As specific career goals or research interests develop during residency, assigned faculty mentors assist residents in choosing a second career or research specific mentor as needed.
Within the Wednesday (and Thursday for interns) morning curriculum, several sessions are devoted specifically to career choice. These include:
- Career panels, including representatives of academic, private practice, HMO, refugee health, rural and other internists.
- Getting a job, including basic job search strategies including reviewing curriculum vitae, letters of recommendation, etc.
- Evaluating an employment contract, profiling practices, discussions with the Board of Medical Examiners.
Preceptorships are an excellent way to explore career options.
Upper level primary care residents can do a 3-4 week preceptorship to experience specific potential job settings. They can consider sites such as: underserved care, rural medicine, refugee health, private practice, Kaiser health system. If there is a unique setting that a resident is interested in and not currently on our list, please bring to the attention of program leadership and we can do our best to try and accommodate and prepare residents for their best future.
The University of Colorado School of Medicine offers fellowship opportunities for primary care physicians who wish to pursue additional training in special areas: ​
Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine
