Subspecialty Training Program in Endocrinology and Metabolism

Program Goals and Objectives

Contents: 

  1. Preamble
  2. Introduction
  3. Patient Care Experience
  4. Facilities
  5. Research training

1. Preamble:

The overall goals and objectives of the training program are to meet the six general competencies common to all ACGME clinical training programs, as they apply to this subspecialty and to attain these incrementally, while simultaneously reducing the amount of supervision required, such that upon completion of the training program, the resident is fully competent to serve as an independent subspecialist.

 

2. Introduction:

The mission of this program is to provide superior subspecialty training in endocrinology and metabolism utilizing a systemic approach in teaching, patient care and research to deliver competent independent sub specialists.  This training program is a two- year clinical fellowship program however; an opportunity for pursuing advanced research training through the STAR program is available.  It is the aim of the program to prepare trainees for a career as a clinician-educators or clinical and or basic endocrine research.  The overall goals and objectives of the training program are to meet the six general competencies common to all ACGME clinical training programs, as they apply to this subspecialty and to attain these incrementally, while simultaneously reducing the amount of supervision required, such that upon completion of the training program, the trainee is fully competent to serve as an independent sub specialist.

 

Goals for trainees and programs:

  1. Learn the basic and advanced endocrine biochemistry, physiology and pathophysiology

  2. Learn practical approaches for the diagnosis, management and prevention of endocrine disorders.

  3. Obtain the technical and practical skills that are required by a consultant in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism.

  4. Acquire the knowledge and skills important for analysis of the laboratory testing and the endocrine literature.

  5. Obtain the knowledge and skills for delivering cost-effective, ethical and humanistic care of patients with diabetes and disorders of endocrinology and metabolism.

  6. Learn the skills in performing basic and or clinical research.  Acquire the experience in grant writing, presenting in scientific meetings and publishing papers in scientific journals.

 

3) Patient Care Experience:

   

Ambulatory Care:

 

The ambulatory experience is emphasized throughout the entire duration of the program.  The ambulatory training program is conducted at two sites: Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Gonda Diabetes Center and in the UCLA Santa Monica Endocrine clinic.  Although the Ronald Reagan UCLA site is a Diabetes Center in name, all endocrine and metabolic disorders are seen here.  In addition to the core ambulatory rotation, the training program provides other ambulatory care rotations located in the Ronald Reagan UCLA site.  In addition to the core teaching physician faculty, the following professional personnel practice within the Gonda Diabetes Center and provide clinical and didactic teaching to the trainees:

  1. diabetes educator
  2. registered dietitian
  3. exercise physiologist
  4. pharmacist

 

The Santa Monica Endocrine clinic is a community-based practice, which allows the fellows to experience a practice different than that of the Ronald Reagan Medical center.
Patients are 18 years of age or older including adequate representation of geriatric patients.  The distribution of ages and sex in our clinics approximates their distribution among the general population with endocrine disease.
Trainees follow their continuity clinic patients for the duration of the program.  By means of the ambulatory experience provided in this program, the trainee has the opportunity to observe and learn the course of endocrine diseases and their treatments.

In-patient General Consult:

Since endocrine specialists are frequently required to consult on and manage endocrine aspects of care in hospitalized patients, the training program also emphasizes training in the inpatient setting.
The trainees experience the in-patient care rotation in the UCLA Westwood (Ronald Reagan) Medical Center.  An in-patient rotation in the UCLA Santa Monica Hospital is available as an elective in the second year of training.

 

4) Facilities:

The Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center delivers world-class medical treatment using cutting-edge technology in a compassionate, patient-focused environment.  The in-patient rotation of the training program occurs in this hospital.  The ambulatory care rotations occur in the 200 Medical Plaza building UCLA Westwood and in the 1801 West Wilshire Boulevard UCLA Santa Monica Endocrine clinic.  An elective in-patient rotation is also available at the UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center.

 

The two UCLA hospitals have laboratory resources readily available to the trainees.  Biochemistry laboratories and hormone assays are available.  The hospital has facilities for karyotyping.  The department of radiology provides MRI, CT, ultrasound, and radiologic imaging services that can conduct studies for all types of endocrine diseases including inferior petrosal sinus and adrenal vein sampling.  The hospital and clinic support a dietary/nutritional service.  There is a fully staffed surgical pathology laboratory for the interpretation of surgical and cytological specimens, including immunohistologic studies.  Nuclear Medicine provides all routine radionuclide-imaging methods including radioiodine thyroid scanning and ablation, adrenal and parathyroid scanning as well as MIBG and technetium pyrophosphate bone scans.

 

The Gonda Diabetes Center, which is located in the 200 Medical Plaza, provide diagnostic unit services including DEXA, DXA body composition analysis, thyroid ultrasound, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, continuous glucose monitoring, nerve conduction studies, digital retinal imaging and carotid intima medial analysis.  The Pituitary program is located in this center.  The diabetes teaching programs of the Gonda Diabetes Center are certified by the American Diabetes Association.
The UCLA Santa Monica endocrine clinic has a dietitian/certified diabetes educator as well.
Podiatric medicine service is available both in Westwood and Santa Monica sites.

 

5) Research training:

Fellows are expected to engage in at least one research project during their fellowship.  On the first day of fellowship, the fellows will be given information about the research interests of the faculty members within the division.  The fellows may also choose to work with a faculty outside of the division.  The allotment of time dedicated to research varies over the course of a training year as well as between years of training.


The fellows must prepare periodic reports of their research progress, which must be reviewed and co-signed by the primary faculty mentor.  For the fellow who is very interested in an investigative career, the Department of Medicine offers a STAR program, in which a M.S. or Ph.D. degree can be obtained, with appropriate research training based on the NIH K30 training program and an intensive multi-year experience.

 

In addition to basic and clinical research, the fellows will present at Endocrine grand rounds and research seminars.  They are encouraged to submit abstracts of their work to national conferences, to write up and publish interesting cases that they encounter during their training.