Electives
In addition to the full array of traditional electives in internal medicine subspecialties, the program offers several special opportunities. Residents are encouraged to choose from important areas within and related to internal medicine. Furthermore, if one of our residents self-identifies an opportunity or interest, we work to create a unique month that fulfills their needs and expands out offering for future residents. Our emphasis is on flexibility and helping our residents tailor their training to meet their interests and future career goals.
A complete list of electives available at the University of Colorado can be found below:
| Elective Rotation | Elective Rotation |
| ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders and Malnutrition | Obesity Medicine |
| Addiction Medicine at Denver Health | Oncology Elective |
| Advanced Congestive Heart Failure | Orthopedics Primary Care |
| Allergy at UCH | Palliative Care at UCH |
| Allergy at NJH | Palliative Care at VA |
| Cardiology Consults Denver Health | Primary Care Research |
| Cardiology Consults VA | Primary Care Select |
| Cardiology Primary Care | POCUS (Point of Care Ultrasound) |
| Cath Lab | Preceptorship - Indian Health Service |
| Dermatology at Kaiser | Preceptorship - Refugee |
| Denver Health Urgent Care | Preceptorship - Rural |
| Endocrinology Consults | Preceptorship - Urban |
| Endocrinology Ambulatory at Denver Health | Psychology Consults |
| Geriatrics | Public Health |
| Gastroenterology Consults | Pulmonology Consults at UCH |
| Gastroenterology Outpatient at Denver Health | Pulmonology Consults at the VA |
| Gastroenterology Outpatient at University Hospital | Pulmonology Hypertension |
| Gastroenterology/Renal Inpatient Combined | Psychiatry for the General Internist |
| Gastroenterology Elective at VA | Pulmonology Outpatient |
| Guatemala | Rehabilitation Medicine |
| Hematology/Bone Marrow Transplant at University Hospital | Renal Combined |
| Hematology/Oncology Consults at Denver Health | Renal Inpatient |
| Hepatology Outpatient | Renal Outpatient |
| Hepatology Inpatient Consults | Research |
| HIV | Rheumatology Inpatient |
| Hospitalist Preceptorship | Rheumatology Outpatient |
| Hospitalist Preceptorship at Rose Medical Center | Rheumatology Combined |
| Infectious Disease Consults | Sleep Medicine |
| Infectious Disease Outpatient | Sports Medicine |
| Infectious Disease at the VA | Systems-Based Practice |
| Medical Educators | Transitions of Care |
| Medical Genetics | Toxicology Elective |
| Med-Peds Primary Service Hospitalist | UCH Medicine Consults |
| MICU (UCH Medical Intensive Care Unit) Elective | Women's Health/Neurology |
| Medicine Procedure Service | Women's Integrated Health (WISH) |
| Narrative Medicine | Zimbabwe |
| Neurology |
Learning and practicing medicine in another country is a unique opportunity. The Department of Medicine encourages residents to train and practice medicine in remote communities as well as in communities outside the United States. We have partnered with the University of Colorado Denver Center for Global Health and the Department of Medicine Global Health Program to expand and improve international offerings. All programs offered through the University of Colorado Internal Medicine Residency Program follow the ‘twinning model’ of global health and are equally beneficial to the residents here as they are to the sites of practice and trainees in the country with whom we partner.
Our two most established opportunities with support for expenses incurred are:
- Colorado – Zimbabwe International Exchange (CoZIE) program in Harare, Zimbabwe. This is a bilateral exchange program between University of Colorado School of Medicine (DOM UCSOM) and the Department of Internal Medicine in the University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences (UZCHS). The rotation takes place in their medical school, which is located in an urban setting. This allows for residents to work in a resource poor setting with a team of UZCHS faculty, residents and medical students.
- The Guatemala (Trifinio) Global Health Elective. This is a clinic experience located ~45 minutes south of Coatepeque, Guatemala. The Center for Global Health and the Hose Fernando Bolaños Foundation developed this clinic and community programs in the surrounding area. The clinic serves a population of banana plantation workers and their families. Residents will work in the clinic with other providers to care for the surrounding areas. The population includes children and mothers allowing for other specialties as well.
Other highly rated experiences include:
- The Himalayan Health rotation in India
- Johnson and Johnson Global Health Scholars at various sites
- CU-sponsored sites in Nepal and India
Primary care residents have priority access to underserved electives, but these opportunities are also open to all internal medicine residents. The number of available spots throughout the academic year will depend on clinic availability and learner numbers.
Local sites include:
- Denver Health and Hospitals Clinics, Refugee Health (Spring Institute), Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, and more: Residents have the opportunity to spend a month at a single site to experience the rewards of providing primary care to vulnerable populations.
- Indian Health Service Sites: Residents can take advantage of wonderful opportunities in these unique clinic locations in southwestern Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.
- Rural Colorado: Several alumni of the Primary Care Track now practice in rural areas of Colorado. Many of these physicians are excited to act as preceptors to residents looking to experience a physician’s life outside of the urban area. As medicine becomes more and more specialized, you can spend a month learning what it’s like to practice without easy access to a cardiac catheterization lab, an MRI machine, or even most subspecialties at a variety of excellent sites around the state.