Internal Medicine: St. Joseph Medical Center Residency

Welcome to the Virginia Mason Franciscan Health – St. Joseph Internal Medicine Residency Program! I am so honored you’re here to learn more about our program. Deciding where to spend 3 years of internal medicine training is a big decision, and one that will help shape you not only as a physician, but also as a person. Our core values lie not only in training you to become the best physician you can be, but also to invest in you as a person, and to inspire you to become a leader who will help shape health care in whichever career path you choose.

Our mission statement is simple: "The St. Joseph Internal Medicine Residency exists to serve the greater Tacoma area through the recruitment of highly motivated individuals, develop physicians who are lifelong learners through a rigorous and meaningful residency experience, and to graduate residents who will change the world through a life of service and leadership." Each initiative we participate in will help to further this mission statement and remind us of our purpose.

We feel this mission is accomplished through the following strategies:

• Expand access to quality primary care in Tacoma, Wash.
• Instill a joy for medicine and promote the concept of lifelong learning
• Instruct learners through demanding didactics while maintaining a patient-centered mindset
• Learn and understand factors which lead to high health care costs
• Provide regular resilience training to emphasize wellness in medicine
• Graduate residents who will educate and inspire the next generation of physicians

One of the questions you might be thinking is, “what does a new program have to offer me?” I’m glad you asked! While our program may be new, I have been educating internal medicine residents for more than 10 years. Please check out my bio. In our program, we strive to create an atmosphere of collegiality and comradery, while also challenging you to become the best version of yourself. You are not just another resident, but a valuable member of our team who we care deeply about. You will develop individual relationships with mentors, have the opportunity to create and join new committees, and have a voice in how our residency is built.

For the majority of your training, you will be at St. Joseph Medical Center, a 374-bed hospital located in the heart of Tacoma, Wash., complete with a level II trauma center and cancer center. We are also an accredited heart failure institute and designated comprehensive stroke center. In short, we have everything you need for a robust training experience.

As our program is now 1 year old, we have had tremendous success with our current residents. We have created a strong presence at the Washington State American College of Physicians, where our residents presented numerous posters, even winning the poster competition and oral abstract competition. Our residents are already engaged in quality improvement work centered on safe insulin prescribing at discharge, and optimization of goal-directed medical therapy for our heart failure patients when they leave the hospital. You will be coming to a residency who cares deeply about the community we serve and understand the value of scholarly activity to meet our patient needs.

I know that choosing a residency is a big decision, and the decision goes beyond where you want to train – it also includes who you spend the next 3 years with. I hope it is with me. I hope it is with us. I am confident spending your residency at our program will both challenge and inspire you.

I cannot wait to share more with you, and genuinely hope you join us on this incredible journey.   

Sheri Bebbington
Coordinator
Internal Medicine Residency Program
St. Joseph Medical Center
[email protected]