The residents at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center (PSVMC) are a diverse and enthusiastic group. They come from a wide variety of backgrounds and each brings a unique perspective to residency. During this formative experience, the residents themselves are an integral part of the supportive and nurturing learning environment at PSVMC. The small size of the program, the presence of talented peers, and the humane call schedule all combine to allow important relationships to develop and flourish.
Hello there!
Welcome to the webpage for our residency program; we hope this site helps you in whatever endeavors lie ahead of you. I hope to give you a sense of the atmosphere and culture here at St. Vincent’s, and help you to realize why so many love this hospital and program, a difficult task in this virtual age.
We’re a small program working in a big hospital, exposed to broad pathologies and residents get prioritized for great cases. As a hospital, Providence St. Vincent Medical Center is great for many reasons; it’s part of a larger organization, Providence Health Systems, with resources and collaboration among many other area hospitals. The hospital has 550 beds and is home to one of the busiest emergency departments in the state. As one of the main tertiary referral centers in the region, we take care of complex patients from all throughout Oregon and southern Washington. Furthermore, as the only residency program at the hospital and no fellows, opportunities for hands-on learning are unparalleled.
You will find our training program is supportive and focuses on the well-being of our residents with a small community feel, but has the benefit of robust training and academics to help our trainees succeed in whatever upcoming adventure life holds for them. The program encourages residents to take charge of their learning and makes it easy for them to do so. With an on-campus clinic, resident-run reports and specialist-taught didactics, residents become part of a close circle in the hospital. We’re well known throughout the hospital, and often know many of the nurses, ancillary staff, and specialists on a first-name basis, even spending time with them outside of work. We work closely with all our sub-specialty services, all of whom volunteer their time to teach because they too, are invested in our education. This sets up our residents to be well-equipped to enter any field: primary care, hospital-based medicine, rural health, and all fields of sub-specialty training in fellowship.
Outside of work, we have the benefit of living in Portland and the Pacific Northwest; there’s always something to do and you’ll always have someone available to do it with. Whatever interests you may have, the area has a huge variety to offer, and that is a a reason so many of our graduates stay in the area. Speaking from personal experience, my wife and I moved out to Portland from the Midwest having never visited except for residency interviews, and the welcoming attitude of the program and our love for the area has kept us busy despite the rigors of residency. With such a small program, we became close with everyone, felt support from those going through this similar situation, and developed lifelong relationships born out of the camaraderie of the program. Like most of our graduates, I feel prepared for my career in medicine, and competitive as I apply for a fellowship in Pulmonology and Critical Care.
If you ever have questions or want to know more about our program, please reach out; we love this program and any here would be willing to talk more about it!
Thank you kindly,
Nathan Zvejnieks
Chief Medical Resident
