All fellows receive the same clinical training during the first year of fellowship. After the first year, training is tailored to the needs and career goals of each fellow.
Fellowship Year One
For all fellows, the first year of fellowship is structured as follows:
- Three University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics continuity of care (COC) clinics per week throughout the year (except when on UI Hospitals & Clinics or VA consult service). Endocrine COC clinics encompass endocrine and diabetes.
- One VA general endocrinology clinic per week when not on any consult service. Two clinics per week when on VA consult service, and none when on UI Hospitals & Clinics consult service. These clinics are run on a COC model and encompass a mix of general endocrine disorders and diabetes.
- Approximately 4 months on UI Hospitals & Clinics consult service (covers both UI Hospitals & Clinics and VA inpatient and urgent outpatient consults).
- Approximately 3 months of VA consult service (covers inpatient and urgent outpatient consults).
- Sub-specialty clinics intended to complement training provided through the endocrine consult service and the fellow COC clinics. The majority of these experiences will likely take place in year 1. Fellows may complete some of these requirements in year 2.
Rotation Requirement High-risk OB Under close mentorship, each fellow follows 6 pregnant patients:
2 with type I DM
2 with type 2 DM
2 with gestational diabetesLipid clinic 4 half-day clinics Male infertility clinic 2 half-day clinics Pediatric endocrinology 6 half-day clinics Renal stone 2 half-day clinics Reproductive endocrinology 3 half-day clinics NETC 5 half-day clinics Bone 5 half-day clinics Radiology US (thyroid US and FNA) 6 half-day clinics Obesity Clinic 6 half-day clinics Thyroid FNA clinic Every other Monday (fellows rotate) LGBT clinic 4 half-day clinics
All fellows are also required to work on QI training, general scholarship, and to participate in the division’s didactics.
In addition, during year one, research fellows will identify a research project and mentor, obtain any required research certifications (such as human subject training), and familiarize themselves with their chosen research area, including learning any necessary basic procedures and techniques.
Sample Yearly Schedule
Each week in the table below shows the fellows’ clinical and didactic schedule depending on whether they are assigned to UI Hospitals & Clinics consult service, VA consult service, or no consult service.
The fellow on UI Hospitals & Clinics consult service is on call one of the weekend days and the second weekend day rotates among the other fellow physicians.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Consult | 13:00 Frontiers 14:00 Didactic 16:00 Case Conf/JC |
COC: AM COC: PM |
COC: AM | 12:00 Int Med Grand Rds 13:00 Common Fellows Curric 17:00 Tumor Board (every other week) |
7:30 Endo Grand Rds VA Clinic: AM 13:30 Fellow Dev Series (once a month) |
| UI Hospitals & Clinics Consult | Consults: All day 13:00 Frontiers 14:00 Didactic 16:00 Case Conf/JC |
Consults: All day | Consults: All day | Consults: All day 12:00 Int Med Grand Rds 13:00 Common Fellows Curric 17:00 Tumor Board (every other week) |
Consults: All day 7:30 Endo Grand Rds 13:30 Fellow Dev Series (once a month) |
| VA Consult | Consults: All day 13:00 Frontiers 14:00 Didactic 16:00 Case Conf/JC |
Consults: All day | Consults: All day | Consults: All day 12:00 Int Med Grand Rds 13:00 Common Fellows Curric 17:00 Tumor Board (every other week) |
Consults: All day VA Clinic: AM 7:30 Endo Grand Rds 13:30 Fellow Dev Series (once a month) |
Fellows focused on a career in community practice will pursue a fully clinical two-year training program with opportunities to pursue practice-based or systems-based initiatives. While most clinical fellows participate in a two-year training program, fellows interested in a specific subspecialty or in medical education may spend an additional year in training, after consultation with the program director, division faculty, and the institutional graduate medical education officials. For such fellows, pursuit of a Masters or Certificate degree in Medical Education is a good complement to their training. Extension of training is subject to the fellow’s visa or US residency status.
Fellows focused on an academic career will pursue a three-year program strongly focused on research. They generally initiate their laboratory or clinical research training during their first year and spend the majority of their second and third years performing their research.
For Clinical Fellows
For Research Fellows
Fellowship Year Two
For Clinical Fellows:
- Three University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics continuity of care (COC) clinics per week throughout the year (except when on consult service). Endocrine COC clinics encompass endocrine and diabetes.
- One VA general endocrinology clinic per week when not on any consult service. Two clinics per week when on VA consult service, and none when on UI Hospitals & Clinics consult service. These clinics are run on a COC model and encompass a mix of general endocrine disorders and diabetes.
- Approximately two months of UI Hospitals & Clinics consult service
- Approximately three months of VA consult service
- Sub-specialty clinics, if these were not completed in year one
- Thyroid FNA Clinic
- In consultation with faculty and program director, attend further specialty clinics to improve experience in any clinical area within endocrinology. These “elective” clinics will be aligned with the fellow’s long-term training and career goals.
Fellowship Year Three
Some clinical fellows who are interested in a specific subspecialty or in medical education might choose to extend their training by one year after consultation with the program director, division faculty, and the institutional graduate medical education officials. For such fellows, attendance at classes at the University of Iowa focused on achieving a Masters or Certificate degree in Medical Education might be a good complement to their training. Extension of training is subject to the fellow’s visa or US residency status and is addressed on a case-by-case basis.
Fellowship Year Two
For Research Fellows:
The fellow begins the chosen research project, presenting research design and findings to the faculty and/or at a regional or national meeting by the end of the year.
Clinical duties are decreased to allow sufficient time for research.
A Typical Research Schedule Includes:
- One UI Hospitals & Clinics COC clinic per week
- One weekend of inpatient consult per month
- Sub-specialty clinics, if these were not completed in year 1
- Thyroid FNA Clinic
Fellowship Year Three
A third year of fellowship is required for research fellows. The fellow continues the research project and will write one or more abstracts and manuscripts describing the results for presentation at a regional or national meeting.