Integrative Medicine Fellowship
Welcome to the Family Medicine Residential Fellowship in Integrative Medicine
We have supported a residential integrative medicine fellowship in conjunction with the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine (AWCIM) since 2003. It has evolved over time and continues to be a robust and exciting opportunity for graduates of family medicine residencies. Most years we reserve this fellowship for residents graduating from our residency program.
Overview
This is a unique opportunity and a rare one. There are only a handful of residential fellowships like this across the country. Fellows focus on integrative family medicine in the clinical setting and have clinical and didactic teaching responsibilities in the residency. This is a wonderful opportunity for residents interested in integrative medicine (IM) as well as academic medicine. They will have mentorship from many of the national leaders in integrative medicine and will be eligible to sit for the ABOIM boards at the end of the fellowship.
Integrative medicine fellows serve as junior faculty in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. Fellows will care for patients independently, without direct supervision. This is a self-directed fellowship, and we hope that when questions arise about the practice of integrative medicine, you will contact one of the several physicians in our department who have completed an integrative medicine fellowship for guidance on any particular case.
Our residential fellow will start in the Family Medicine Center in July and stay for one year. They will start the AWCIM online fellowship in the spring or fall and then continue the AWCIM fellowship for approximately six months after finishing the residential year here in Tucson.
With more than 10 years of graduates, we are extremely proud of this program and our fellows who have gone on to become leaders in integrative medicine.
Educational Requirements
- Completion of the Andrew Weil Center For Integrative Medicine (AWCIM) online educational modules, in a timely way (productivity and pace of completing these modules will be explained at the in-person residential weeks). The modules usually begin in February, just a few months before clinical start date of the fellowship.
- Presence and participation during three separate weeks of in-person training in Tucson, with the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. All fellows of the same class/fellowship cycle (from across the country) will be present at each of the three weeks. The weeks are spread out over the course of two years. The first week will happen in the spring (usually March or April), just a few months before clinical start date of the fellowship.
The online modules, combined with the three in-person weeks in Tucson, total approximately 1,000 hours of time and coursework over two years.
- Participation in monthly patient conferences during which fellows will present a specific patient case using an integrative medicine H&P format and solicit ideas for approaches to patient care from integrative faculty and other integrative practitioners of various backgrounds and expertise. These usually happen monthly, on a Friday (mid-day).
- Monthly Integrative Medicine Teaching Day presentations for the Alvernon Family Medicine residents/faculty in an appropriate integrative medicine topic. Experiential (hands-on) presentations are highly encouraged. These usually occur monthly, on a Thursday afternoon, 1-2 hours each.
- Completion of 1 integrative medicine H&P and treatment plan, provided to the director of the fellowship or other integrative medicine faculty for review and discussion.
- We encourage fellows to use CME funds to participate in integrative medicine conferences or activities, or to learn the practice of an integrative medicine modality of interest.
Clinical Requirements
Fellows are expected to complete five clinical sessions per week. Each clinical session is a half-day (e.g., 8 a.m. – noon or 1–5 p.m.). Five clinical sessions equal 0.5 FTE (0.1 FTE represents 1 weekly ½ day session)
Self-Care Goals for the Fellowship
Practice lifestyle recommendations from the integrative medicine modules in the areas of nutrition, physical activity, sleep and mind-body practice. We are hoping that the structure of our program allows our integrative medicine fellows to slow down a bit from the fast-paced demands of family medicine and invest time into their own wellness.
Learn and experience integrative medicine modalities that appeal to you. We acknowledge that integrative medicine is a broad field, and there are many integrative practitioners and healers in Tucson with whom we can help connect you to try various complementary modalities.
We believe that when physicians are taking care of themselves, they are better able to promote wellness to their patients and community. We also are hopeful that the regular practice of self-care will increase inspiration to practice integrative medicine and minimize physician burnout.
Current PGY4 salary is $95,000 for the academic year. verify - this is different from the salary listed here: https://medicine.arizona.edu/internal-resources/form/bumd-approved-housestaff-salaries Is this program an exception?
This includes:
- One month vacation
- Medical insurance
- Life insurance
- Professional liability insurance
- The University of Arizona Qualified Tuition Reduction program. More information>>
- Andrew Weil Center Online fellowship discount of 50%
How to Apply
Please complete the application and send it to Dr. Puthenveetil before December 30 of your third year of residency. She can also answer any questions you may have about this fellowship.