Category Archives: Alaska

Anchorage in July

July 30, 2018 cghiathi Leave a comment

I absIolutely adored my month in anchorage at ANMC. I know I want to do pulm/CCM, and wanted to use the rotation as an opportunity to get more ICU exposure, gain more procedural experience, and see a different pattern of practice outside of an urban, academic setting. On all of those fronts, it did not disappoint.

The rotation is very flexible on schedule; I opted for 3 weeks of ICU and 1 week of pulmonary clinic. The ICU doctors really enjoy working with residents and love to teach. I got a ton of hands-on experiences managing trauma and neuro-ICU patients that we don’t get much exposure to as residents. I also put in a ton of lines and did other procedures, including my first chest tube! The week in pulmonary clinic was also a delight. I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Clark who is a brilliant and thoughtful pulmonologist. It was also a nice opportunity to talk with patients more in a lower acuity setting and get to know their culture and stories.

There is also a lot to do and see in Anchorage and the surrounding areas, especially in the summer! You can chunk days off together, and I used the week of pulmonary clinic to really enjoy my long days. I visited Denali, went fishing in the Kenai Penninsula, did several hikes, biked the Coastal Trail, and more!

Overall, I’d recommend ANMC to anyone who wants more ICU or procedural experience. It has been the best rotation I have done as a resident and was an incredibly valuable educational experience.

Alaska, Anchorage

ANMC

May 6, 2018 Michela Blain Leave a comment

Residents choose to rotate at ANMC for a variety of reasons, but I found working in a hospital dedicated to caring for Alaska Natives to be the most rewarding aspect. That said, I felt like I arrived in Anchorage with little background knowledge on the patient population and the hospital where I would work. During my rotation at ANMC, I compiled this powerpoint as a reference – it is a mix of information on the hospital’s history, Alaska Native population health statistics, and additional resources for learning more before and during the rotation (health equity papers, local must-visit museums, etc.) I hope these references help lay some of the ground work for the unique environment and culture. This beautiful state has a rich history that strongly impacts the health and daily lives of its people and the opportunity to meet and learn from them first-hand is inspiring. If you have any feedback or would like to add additional resources, please email me.

Have a wonderful rotation!

[Editor’s note: Michela put together this fantastic PowerPoint of background information about ANMC and the Alaska Native population it serves. Strongly recommended for anyone going to Anchorage!]

Alaska, Soldotna

Soldotna!

April 8, 2018 Allyson Goldberg Leave a comment

Soldotna: as Elena told me before I went, it really does live up to the hype!

The physicians at Peninsula Internal Medicine are all incredibly smart and thoughtful, and they practice so deep into the Internal Medicine subspecialties, even as more specialty physicians have arrived to practice in the central peninsula. As a result, their patients are diverse, with interesting/challenging medical problems, and they are as expert in managing anxiety and hospice care as they as they are in IBD, complex diabetes, and procedures (including EGDs, colonoscopies, cardiac stress tests, cardioversion, reading TTEs, endometrial biopsy, paracenteses). They keep up with multiple journals and subspecialty literature, they watch UW grand rounds (broadcast live from the hospital across the street), they are very involved in work at the hospital across the street. Despite this, they have incredible work/life balance, and their backgrounds are full of global travel (and Iditarod!), which makes for lots of interesting life/medical experiences. They all have different clinical interests and strengths that are very complementary, and although residents work mostly with Dr. Bramante (who is fantastic), there are opportunities to learn from everyone. And the clinic itself is perhaps the most high-functioning primary care clinic I have ever seen! It’s hard to overstate how friendly and welcoming everyone is.

Outside of clinic (which is usually 4 days a week), there are a multitude of things to do in town (coffee galore, cross country skiing or running on an extensive network of well-maintained trails, yoga, climbing wall) and stunning hikes and day/overnight trips outside of town to Seward, Homer, the Portage Glacier, and more. I ate so much moose (that Dr. Kelley had personally hunted and prepared!). You are close enough to Anchorage that you could sightsee on weekends with the resident at ANMC, if you wanted to. They maintain a ‘Get a Life!’ list for the Kenai peninsula.

I learned a lot this month, and left with a lot of professional inspiration, but the whole thing felt like a wonderful vacation among really nice people. Enjoy!!

Portage Glacier preview (I can’t ruin the surprise!)

Anchorage

ANMC Round 2

January 18, 2018 Alice Bremner Leave a comment

This was my second winter solstice at ANMC, so I must be into the darkness….but actually, I had such a great time my first go round that I wanted to come back! For both of my rotations, I spent all 4 weeks in the ICU. I’m in the primary care track, and wanted more time in the ICU so that I’ll feel comfortable in independent practice after residency; ANMC certainly helped me get there. The attendings are universally excited about having residents around, and love teaching about critical care and procedures. You will certainly have lots of opportunities for lines, intubations, thoras, paras, and I placed my first chest tube at ANMC.

The patients come from across Alaska, and are truly critically ill, with a wide range of medical problems. Lots of patients with cirrhosis (often devastatingly young people), garden variety sepsis, and some rare and intriguing diseases. I took care of a young woman with newly diagnosed sarcoid, and another patient with newly diagnosed lupus. You will have lots of opportunities to have long conversations with families, to get to know patients, and to “run the show” as much as you are comfortable, with backup if needed.

You will be struck by tremendous health disparities, and will notice that despite the cold, Anchorage has a sizable homeless population, many of whom are Alaska Native, and some of whom you will care for in the ICU. I’d recommend taking the time to read recent journal articles that discuss the social determinants of health and structural racism to put into context some of the poor health that you will see. You may find that you’ll want to come back to ANMC, and you will surely connect with lovely patients and families who will appreciate your care!

On the enjoying Alaska front, there is a ton to do in Anchorage, and you’ll definitely not be bored! Skiing at Alyeska is fun, some decent steep skiing, and fantastic views out onto the Turnagain Arm. There is great backcountry skiing up at Hatcher Pass and Turnagain too!

I cannot recommend this rotation highly enough! You’ll learn a ton, and have time to explore Alaska too!

View from Alyeska looking down onto Turnagain Arm

Frozen River and the base of Denali in the clouds

Soldotna

Soldotna or Bust!

October 16, 2017 courtly Leave a comment

I had the pleasure of rotating in Soldotna in late September-October 2017 and it has been a dream! One of the best experiences of residency by far. I came to UW hoping that I would be able to do a WWAMI rotation in Alaska and it has vastly surpassed my expectations.

Like other residents have mentioned, your work in Soldotna is at an internal medicine clinic that functions like a referral center. You see an incredible breadth of primary care. In my month, I’ve diagnosed myasthenia gravis, carcinoid syndrome, in addition to managing pulmonary hypertension and post-CVA care after a 30 year old had an embolic event from an atrial myxoma. It has been quite the learning experience and has solidified my decision to go into primary care!

The doctors here have incredible work/life balance. Dr. Bramante and I would often go on long runs together after work and go dog-sledding. Like other residents have written, there’s a ton of outdoor activities to do on your three days off per week! My favorites included hiking on glaciers, watching sea otters in Seward harbor, and seeing grizzly bears fishing in the wild (though also terrifying!).

For those of you lucky enough to come to Soldotna, good luck exploring the 49th state!

Courtney Tuegel (R3)

Soldotna

September 20, 2017 Ben Wolpaw Leave a comment

I am writing this from Soldotna, where I am wrapping up a really great month here. This is a great rotation, which I would sum up as a superb and unique primary care experience with plenty of time to explore one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Clinically you work primarily with Dr. John Bramante, a former UW resident and chief, and see patients with him at a private group practice affiliated with the major hospital for the Kenai Peninsula. He is great to work with, and extremely knowledgeable and supportive. Because this is a rural site with limited access to specialists, you get to manage a very wide range of medical conditions and often patients are referred from PAs/NPs or family medicine doctors with interesting problems or diagnoses. There are also plenty of people with bread and butter medical issues who are presenting for their annual visit and need someone to work with them on their DM, HTN, CAD, etc and tweak their medicines. The best part is that the schedule is set up so that you can usually take your time to really talk to the patients to get to know them a bit and do good counseling and education.

The hours are very reasonable and flexible, leaving lots of time to explore. My month here has been in September, and the days are still really long. On the weekends I went to nearby Homer (1st picture), kayaked to and hiked on a glacier (2nd picture), went white water rafting on class IV and V rapids, and did lots of superb hikes. The third picture below is of a beach that is 20 minutes from the apartment here, and on nice days the sunsets are amazing and there are firepits to have bonfires.

This is a special place with really good doctors, warm and welcoming people, and stunning scenery. Check it out!

Alaska, Anchorage

ICU at ANMC in Anchorage in June

June 27, 2017 Eric Tanenbaum Leave a comment

Anchorage, Alaska. Home to bears, moose, liver dialysis and abundant subclavian central venous access. I chose to spend all 4 weeks of the rotation in the ICU and would definitely recommend the experience (although I hear that residents enjoy their time with all specialties up here).

At ANMC all critically ill patients end up in one unit under the care of the ICU team, so you will see patients admitted with trauma and other “surgical problems” (NSTI, ICH requiring craniectomy etc.) in addition to the things we are more used to managing. If the variety doesn’t interest you it’s possible to pick up only the more classic medicine patients, but you will at least have the opportunity to manage a broader spectrum of critical illness. You will probably get to do lots of procedures (all manner of central lines, bronchoscopy) and intubate relatively often if you are so inclined. A more unique thing you will see here is MARS “liver dialysis” which gets used for acute liver failure and Tylenol overdose. The attendings and other hospital staff are very friendly and a lot of fun to work with.

At least in the summer there is lots to do here, four weekends is just not enough time to see all the cool stuff in the area. The hiking/wildlife is incredible. Homer and Seward make great weekend trips. This also seems like the place to be if you like fishing.

if this kind of bear attacks you, fight back

If this kind of bear attacks you, only fight back if it literally starts to eat you

seriously though, get bear mace if you are going to be hiking here in the summer

Anchorage

ANMC/Anchorage!

June 3, 2017 Katy Hicks Leave a comment

I spent May 2017 in Anchorage and had a great experience at ANMC. I ended up only having 3 weeks there and did 1 week in the ICU, 1 week in a mix of clinics (Rheum, Endo, Pall Care) and 1 week of ID consults. In general if there for 4 weeks I’d recommend 2 weeks in the ICU to get the hang of it and a range of experiences and I think the staff there prefer it for some continuity. Schedule in the ICU was M-F 7am to 7pm for sign out (able to leave early some days). I worked with Dr. Worth who is great and trained at UW! I also really enjoyed the clinic experience – great way to learn more about the native health system and how subspecialty care is delivered to such a broad geographic area. Great teaching too and pretty relaxed schedule. Lastly ID consults was great with really interesting cases and fun attendings who love to teach. I was initially given a pretty short list of options of what to do but when I got there but I found that people were happy to have me in most clinics and if you ask they will make most things work.

As far as Anchorage itself it’s a very livable small city and easy to adapt to quickly. People at the hospital were all really welcoming and eager to provide recommendations for what to do and see. May was a fun time of year there as spring was really just starting but days are long. Be sure to check if hikes in the area are still icy/snowy! For housing AirBnB worked well to find a spot – midtown isn’t the most attractive part of town but halfway between downtown and ANMC. Start housing search early if you want to do a monthlong rental especiall in summer/spring. Enterprise renal car through UW also very easy to do.

I loved visits to homer (halibut fishing!), seward (kenai fjords tour/kayaking), hikes around anchorage (power line trail, eagle river nature park, flat top).

Portage Glacier Hike, at end of Whittier Tunnel

Alaska, Soldotna

Get Sold on Soldotna!

April 25, 2017 Lesley King Leave a comment

Spent an incredible 4 weeks here in September/October, and can’t recommend it enough!

You work 4-5 days a week at Peninsula Internal Medicine, an independent practice with 5 MDs and 2NPs but right across the street from Central Peninsula Hospital where you’ll go for some procedures, ECHO reading, and of course, free lunch. You work predominantly with the legendary Dr. Bramante who is an incredible internist and even more incredible human being. Most of my experience was outpatient, alternating seeing patients with him on one of his normally scheduled clinic days. The patients are super interesting from both a social and a medical perspective (you see a fair amount of the standard T2DM, HTN, CAD, COPD/combo of the above but I also diagnosed/helped manage things like IPF, polymyositis, HIV, CML, aldosteronoma and a host of others). I also spent time working with some of the other physicians in the group including Dr. Kelley, Dr. Pokorney and Dr. Mitchell and even got to do some outpatient clin ed with the med student who was there at the same time. Overall everyone is super awesome, friendly, and smart and all are supportive of you doing the things you want to do and having the experience you want to have. This includes doing a week or two of inpatient if you are so inclined.

Soldotna itself is awesome, as is the Kenai Peninsula in general. Your drive down is breathtaking and just the beginning – activities are limitless! Make sure to spend at least a day if not a weekend in Homer, a beautiful town surrounded by magnificent mountains and nonstop views, good food, and cool art shops. Also journey over to Seward, where they have a nice little aquarium, kayaking in the summer, and you can take a short hike right up to the edge of Exit Glacier. So many amazing hikes and areas to explore like the Skilak wildlife refuge, North Beach in Kenai, and Cooper’s landing. I was also lucky enough to be there at the right time to go Halibut fishing with the Kelley’s and no doubt JB will invite you over to run with the pups. Truly a once in a lifetime experience to be pulled on the back of a 4 wheeler by a pack of dogs while clutching your attending for dear life. Incredible!

You’re also provided with a cozy apartment right on the Kenai river and a short drive from the clinic. Everyone takes care of you and is more than excited to have you over for dinner and show you all the amazing things Soldotna has to offer. I also had the opportunity to present a grand rounds style lecture for local providers. Definitely prioritize a rotation up here, you won’t regret it!

Black bear at the Alaska wildlife conservation center

Kenai river in your backyard (literally!)

Halibut fishing with the Kelleys!

View from the Homer spit

North beach at Kenai with relaxed resident feet included as proof of ample down time

Exit glacier near Seward

Ready for a run!

Alaska, Anchorage

ICU at ANMC in Anchorage, AK!

April 7, 2017 Adam Kolnik Leave a comment

Let me start by saying that if you’re reading this and are already scheduled to do your WWAMI rotation at ANMC though haven’t yet submitted your Alaska resident license application…stop reading and go do it. For real, you’ll thank me later. Getting that beast of an application out of the way about 4-6 months ahead of time will allow you to cruise on up to Anchorage stress-free knowing that you’ll be all set for your rotation!

Anyway, with that said, I spent my entire month of March in the ICU at ANMC and as those before me have already said, this was absolutely one of the best experiences that I’ve had in residency! As the only resident in the ICU, everyone is super willing to give you procedures and the attendings are all excellent teachers. By the end of the rotation I had done about 10 central lines (mix of IJs and subclavians), 2 intubations, 3 bronchoscopies, many arterial lines, and even a handful of chest tubes! Overall, you get a ton of autonomy and really feel like you are the primary provider for your patients, while the attendings are always available for guidance. The staff at ANMC are awesome and the ICU nurses in particular are very knowledgeable and always willing to help. From a cultural and systems perspective, working at ANMC is also really interesting as it serves the Native population not only in Anchorage but from all around Alaska. Many patients are flown in from various parts of the state, including Little Diomede, which is the westernmost island of 110 people that is right on the US/Russia border in the Bering Sea! The ICU itself is about 20ish beds, and they’re actually in the middle of some construction to expand it. The acuity of patients ranged quite a bit, and we certainly had some sick folks with interesting pathologies.

As far as Anchorage goes, it’s not a very big place but definitely has a lot going on! If you’re heading out in March, I would recommend catching the start of the Iditarod. Overall it was pretty darn chilly with temps in the negatives most of the month until late March and snow/ice pretty much everywhere. I stayed in an apartment close to the hospital and got around just fine in my trusty Ford Focus rental car, though there were a couple of hefty snow storms and those not used to driving in the snow might feel better with a 4WD. Otherwise it was awesome exploring the city and surrounding area. Check out the pics below!