Endocrinology

The objective of this rotation is to develop an approach to

Core Internal Medicine Residents objectives:

• Diabetes –

  • Post-pancreatectomy/transplant diabetes

  • Type 1 and type 2 diabetes

  • Diabetes in Pregnancy

  • Antihyperglycemic agents (including insulin)

  • Diabetes in Pregnancy

  • Complications of diabetes

• Hypo and hyperthyroidism, thyroid nodules, goiter

• Obesity

• Pituitary hormone abnormalities

• Metabolic bone disease

• Calcium disorders

• Adrenal insufficiency

• Menstrual irregularities and PCOS

• Hypogonadism

• Endocrine Causes of Hypertension

• Endocrine Manifestations of Systemic Diseases

Updated August 2025.

Clinics

• You are expected to arrive 5-10 minutes prior to any assigned clinic.

• You are asked to sign out your pager to the rest of the consult team during clinics.

• You are expected to do the dictation following the clinic.

• It is highly advisable that you read around the cases you see. Ask your preceptor for references if you are unsure where to look.

• You are expected to complete EPAs.

Ward Consults

• You are expected to arrive at the hospital by 8:00 a.m.

• By 8:30 a.m., please meet to discuss your patients with other residents, subspecialty resident, and staff.

• When you are on the consult service, you will be seeing the new consults in the hospital, as well as taking care of our in-patients.

• You are expected to complete EPAs.

On-Call Duties

• Endocrinology call is home-call up to 1 in 3 nights.

• During your 4-week rotation, you will be expected to do at least one full weekend which includes Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

• Most of the calls may be handled by phone. If you are asked to see a new consult, then you should come to the hospital to see the patient. If unsure about whether the consult can wait until the next day, please call attending staff to discuss.

• All new consults should be reviewed with the staff on call.

• Please see PARA agreement for call requirements.

By the end of this rotation, residents will be graded as “progressing as expected” in each of the following and in the Global Rating. The expected level of performance in the PGY1 year is Interpreter level, PGY2 is Manager level, PGY3 is Educator level (See Program Information - Overall Goals and Objectives).

1. Medical Expert

• Data Collection and Clinical Reasoning: The resident appropriately collects and synthesizes clinical information to formulate a primary diagnosis and appropriate differential.

• Clinical Decision Making: The resident is able to make appropriate and cost-effective investigation and management decisions based on the case and best available evidence.

2. Communicator

• Patient and Family Communication: The resident communicates with and about patients and family in a patient-centered manner.

• Documentation and Verbal Presentation: The resident appropriately documents and presents cases for new consults, progress notes, and handover of care (succinctly organized, prioritized, summarized) including answering the question asked by the referring service.

3. Collaborator

• Interdisciplinary Team: The resident works well in a team, shares work, and interacts with referring physicians and other healthcare providers effectively.

4. Leader

• Efficiency: The resident prioritizes tasks and manages time effectively.

5. Health Advocate

• Patient Advocacy: The resident addresses disease prevention, risk factor reduction, and health surveillance when indicated.

6. Scholar

• Personal and Team-based Learning: The resident demonstrates an effective personal learning strategy (reading around cases, appropriate use of resource) and shares knowledge with other team members.

7. Professional

• Scope of Practice: The resident is trustworthy and responsible, knows limitations (asks for help appropriately), and responds well to feedback.

Assessment 

We will use the following In-Training Evaluation Report (ITER):

• Endocrinology

Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs)

This rotation focuses on mainly Core of the Discipline EPAs. However, due to scheduling, a resident may do this rotation during Foundations. Residents are allowed to start Core of Discipline EPAs during the Foundations stage. This rotation is an ideal learning environment for the following EPAs:

• FD2: Managing patients admitted to acute care settings with common medical problems and advancing their care plans

• FD4: Formulating, communicating, and implementing discharge plans for patients with common medical conditions from acute care settings

• CD1: Assessing, diagnosing and managing patients with complex or atypical acute medical presentations

• CD2: Assessing, diagnosing, and managing patients with complex chronic diseases

• CD3: Providing internal medicine consultation to other clinical services

• CD10: Implementing health promotion strategies in patients with or at risk for disease

  • (e.g. Diabetes counselling, Vascular risk reduction, Smoking cessation in Asthma/COPD

Program Director

Dr. Mahua Ghosh

mahua@ualberta.ca

Medical Education Program Coordinator

mednendo@ualberta.ca