About our program

Mission Statement

The faculty of the Advocate Lutheran General Family Medicine Residency embrace the following mission:

We teach Family Medicine residents the primary care skills needed to optimize the health of a diverse population of patients and their families that they might live well. We simultaneously encourage our residents to live well, while preparing them for a broad range of career options.

Program Aims

Over the course of our three-year residency, we aim to:

Teach broad primary care skills applicable to a wide variety of patients and settings.
Focus our competencies to serve the needs of our community.
Prioritize advocacy for self (physician and staff wellbeing) and patients.
Optimize professional development through tailored curricular experiences.

The Nesset Family Medicine Center

The Nesset Center is the outpatient clinical site, across the street from Lutheran General Hospital, where our Family Medicine Residency has our continuity practice. You will have your own pool of patients, and you will work closely with your nurses, medical assistants, front office personnel, and your resident colleagues. You will learn about team-based care as our office is supported by an on-site care manager and a clinical pharmacist. In addition, you will have your own shared office space, while you care for a large and diverse patient population.

Our faculty will work closely with you in hospital-based and office-based patient care. And, just as in real-life, you are available to "cover" your colleagues' patients, just as they will be available to "cover" yours. This framework teaches the natural team building and cooperation skills that are vital in daily practice. At the Nesset Center, you will also work side-by-side with a variety of specialty consultants, including Sports Medicine, endocrinology, rheumatology, and cardiology, among others. We offer Family Medicine rotations (inpatient and outpatient) to medical students, and you will have an opportunity to function in a teaching role.

The Nesset Outpatient Center is equipped to provide full range of medical care including ancillary services like EKG, X-Ray, and laboratory. We are also equipped to perform a variety of minor surgical procedures and our residents are trained in colposcopy, endometrial biopsy, intrauterine device placement, joint injections, casting, various skin procedures (excisions, cryotherapy, incision and drainage), and others.

Our program believes that continuity relationships with patients improve patient outcomes and we strive to teach that, encourage, and model that concept on a daily basis.

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Electronic Medical Record

The Nesset Family Medicine Center, Lutheran General Hospital, and Advocate Health System now uses the web-based EPIC for our electronic health record system. EPIC provides instant access to patient information and automates everyday clinical tasks such as prescribing medications and documenting patient visits, while connecting physicians electronically to laboratories and pharmacies. EPIC also allows for instantaneous review of images. All residents have access to Dragon to dictate their notes.

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The Hospital Environment

The close proximity of the Nesset Center to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital makes this model practice environment effective and convenient. Advocate Lutheran General Hospital is an outstanding practice facility, rated one of the top 100 hospitals in the country. The level of expertise of its attending staff, and their commitment to teaching make the hospital experience a very strong component of our residency. You will have the opportunity to work side-by-side with these physicians, learning their styles and forming your own.

There are other residents and fellows at the hospital, some based primarily at ALGH and some just rotating through the hospital. Specialties include: Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Psychiatry, and Emergency Medicine. Fellows at the hospital include those training in fields of Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Neonatal and Pediatric Critical Care, and Sports Medicine, among others.

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Revised Work Hours

We adhere strictly to the American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) work rules, including the 80-hour work week.

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Special Settings

In addition to the Nesset Family Medicine office setting and the hospital environment, our residency program offers two unique practice settings not often found in other programs. These active programs provide a dynamic and practical experience into these fascinating areas of medical practice.

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Away Rotations

As a part of a large community hospital, we are fortunate to have all of our subspecialists in and around Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. Away rotations are available as an optional experience.

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Osteopathic Recognition

What is the osteopathic pathway?

Our program has Osteopathic Recognition and is accredited by the ACGME. Our osteopathic pathway is for all residents wishing to further pursue their osteopathic training during their residency with use of OPP and OMM. It also aides in preparation for those residents interested in taking the osteopathic boards through the AOBFP.

What does it include?

As a part of the track, you will be involved in the following:

Quarterly workshops - 2 hours of hands-on training/ lab time related to various topics/ patient cases
Scholarly activity - Journal clubs
Osteopathic didactic on months with no workshops or journal clubs
OSCE in SIM lab to evaluate first year skills
ISE exam- in addition to the allopathic in-training exam required yearly

OMT clinics - rotating residents with an osteopathic preceptor at our Nesset continuity clinic
OMT in the inpatient setting
Bi-annual reviews with your DOE of your milestones in the osteopathic pathway and of your requirements

Learn coding and billing for OMT

Why be a part?

If you would like to continue to advance and apply your OPP and OMM skills with a desire to apply these skills in future practice we recommend you be a part of the pathway. There is no requirement that every DO be a part of the pathway - it is optional.

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Living in Park Ridge/Greater Chicago Area

Our residency is located in Park Ridge, a Chicago suburb located about 15 miles northwest of downtown Chicago
Our residents live throughout the Greater Chicago Area, as far as downtown Chicago and as close as the surrounding suburbs.
As one of the major cities in U.S., our residents enjoy the benefit of rich culture and diversities Chicago has to offer with numerous activities, festivals, and sports events all year round.