Residency Teaching Program

What Is a Residency Clinic?

A residency clinic is staffed by licensed physicians who are completing specialized training, working side-by-side with board-certified attending doctors. Patients receive high-quality, evidence-based care with the added benefit of two layers of medical expertise. Appointments may be slightly longer because residents take time to listen and ensure thorough evaluations. All care is supervised for safety and quality, and patients receive the full range of primary care services. Choosing a residency clinic means excellent care today—and helping train the next generation of physicians.

Understanding Your Care Team at a Teaching Clinic

At Rocky Vista Health Center, you may meet different members of our medical education team. Each plays an important role in your care, and all care is supervised by experienced, board-certified attending physicians. Here’s what each title means in simple, patient-friendly terms:

Medical Students

Medical students are enrolled in medical school and are not yet physicians. They may take your history, ask questions, or observe your visit to support their learning, but they do not make medical decisions or provide treatment on their own.

Interns

Interns are doctors who have graduated from medical school and are in their first year of post-graduate training.

• They are real physicians, but they cannot practice independently.
• They provide care as part of the residency program and must be supervised by a licensed attending physician.

You may see an intern during your visit, but their care is always reviewed by a senior doctor.

Residents

Residents have:

• Completed their internship year
  
• Passed the third level of national licensing exams
  
• Graduated medical school

Residents are fully licensed physicians who are completing advanced training in a specialty such as internal medicine.
They can diagnose, treat, and manage patient care.

• They spend several years in training (typically 2–7 years depending on specialty).
• Although they may legally practice as general practitioners, in our clinic they function within the residency program and are supervised by attending physicians.

Patients often appreciate that residents spend more time listening, explaining, and ensuring thorough evaluations.

Fellows

Fellows are physicians who have:

• Completed residency
  
• Chosen to pursue additional, optional training in a subspecialty

They already practice medicine independently but are gaining deeper expertise in a focused area

Attending Physicians

Attending physicians are experts in their field.

• They have completed all required training and are fully licensed to practice without supervision
• At RVHC, attendings supervise our residency program, oversee all resident and student education, and directly support your care.
• Every diagnosis, plan, and treatment is reviewed by an attending physician to ensure quality and safety.

What This Means for You

At our teaching clinic, you receive care from a team—often giving you:

• More time spent in your visit
• Two or more physicians reviewing your case
• Up-to-date, evidence-based treatment
• Multiple layers of supervision and expertise

Every level of training adds value, and every decision is ultimately overseen by an experienced attending physician.