Combined with experienced, learner-focused interprofessional faculty, this fellowship boasts a diverse population including Alaskan Natives, immigrants and refugees from around the world, born-and-raised Alaskans, people from the “Lower 48” relocating for various reasons, and military personnel with their families which further enriches each fellows’ experience. Over 100 languages are spoken in our local school district, so our HPM Fellows experience a comprehensive exposure to countless cultures and languages, such as Yupik, Inuit, Athabaskan, Hmong, Mandarin, Cantonese, Cambodian, Laotian, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, Tagalog, Ilacarno, Russian, German, French, Samoan, Spanish, Tongan and many more. Beautifully, this diversity is an undercurrent throughout the clinical education of the HPM Fellows as they rotate through the multiple ACGME required rotations and elective experiences. A fellow chooses the elective experience that will be most meaningful to them, and it is not limited to the path of prior fellows.
Experienced interprofessional faculty and cultural diversity are two aspects that make this a unique fellowship. The third unique aspect of this fellowship is the extensive exposure to an array of serious illness trajectories from advanced cancer, cardiac disease, respiratory disease, neurocognitive and neuromuscular dysfunction, renal failure, childhood congenital disorders, cystic fibrosis, traumatic injuries, micro-prematurity, perinatal morbidities, and much more. As expected, most serious illness trajectories do not occur in isolation, so the fellow becomes skilled at navigating complex morbidity and mortality conversations to help support and care for this vulnerable population.
Rotations
Inpatient Consult Service | 24 weeks (minimum) |
Hospice Experience | 10 weeks |
Long Term Care Experience | 4 weeks (approximately 100 hours) |
Elective | 4 weeks |
Intensive Care Rotation | 4 weeks |
Community Based Specialty Palliative Care | Longitudinal across 6 months |
Neonatal, Pediatric, and Perinatal Exposure | Longitudinal throughout year |
Elective Experiences Chosen by Previous Fellows**
Alaska Native Medical Center | Providence Intensive Care Unit |
Interventional Pain Service | Alaska Heart Institute, & Alaska Heart Institute Heart Failure Clinic |
Radiation Oncology | Medical Oncology, Adult |
Clinical Ethics | Medical Oncology, Pediatric |
*Fellow rotations may be influenced by the need to support the public health effort around the coronavirus pandemic to keep fellows, our clinicians, and our community safe.