Residents also attend a Thursday afternoon clinic at the University of New Mexico Student Health Center. Residents are also expected to attend weekly journal club meetings at the VAMC conference room. Grand Rounds are conducted every Friday morning and attendance is mandatory. In addition, attendance is required at all state dermatological society meetings, and participation in patient presentation is mandatory. Call is assigned on a weekly basis, and is split up evenly between the four residents.
All call is backed up by the attending assigned for the week, and is printed one month in advance.
Their major goal is to establish the fundamental skills necessary to provide sound medical care for the patient and a foundation for the development of surgical skills. Expertise in general care medicine is mastered during this year. These skills are acquired by both repetition of clinical and surgical tasks, as well as a continual exposure to more and more complex tasks and responsibilities. Chief resident and faculty supervision assist in this educational endeavor. During this year the resident is exposed to increased responsibility regarding patient care.