Education

The Educational Experience of an Adolescent Medicine Fellow

Fellows are trained in providing primary care and the essential aspects of subspecialty care, including how to work with a multidisciplinary team. They receive assistance towards the development of a scholarly project and supervision of their teaching activities. Fellows are encouraged to enroll in a master's level public health, business or education program at George Washington University (GWU). Upon recommendation of the department chair and training program director, fellows can become non-tenured faculty members of George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the rank of clinical instructor, which ensures full tuition benefits for any desired GWU coursework.

As fellows continue through the program, they progress to more in-depth assignments including teaching duties, subspecialty rotations, complex consultations, and demonstration of the research skills needed to present a project for Institutional Review Board approval.

Fellows complete their scholarly or research project by the end of their second or third year. During the second half of second or third year, fellows may also participate in administrative duties (organizing teaching conferences and performance improvement), as well as take on the role of outpatient preceptor of residents and students. In brief, their final year is devoted to mastering the skills needed for advanced level clinical consultation, teaching, research and administrative capability in preparation for an academic career. At graduation, trainees function independently and are ready for a junior faculty level role.