Sanford Medical Education

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Developing Exceptional Physicians

Sanford Health is committed to excellence in our medical education programs. We’re proud to be a major teaching site for medical residency and fellowship programs.

Every year, we train over 300 residents and fellows, as well as nearly 500 medical students.

Our programs give developing physicians the resources they need to thrive and build lasting relationships with experts in their field. If you’re a student looking to gain hands-on clinical experience, our medical education programs are for you.

Advancing medical education is one of our initiatives supported by a $300 million gift from philanthropist Denny Sanford. Recruitment and retention of health care professionals can be challenging in rural areas. This gift enables us to double our graduate education opportunities and expand our recruitment and retention programs.

 

Medical Education at Sanford Health

Training the physicians and medical experts of tomorrow is no small task. Sanford Health is working to shape the future of health care with exceptional educational opportunities that connect residents, fellows and students to knowledgeable mentors and advanced technologies. We’re proud to continue our century-long commitment to education.

 

Sanford Medical Education Menu

Residency Programs

Emergency Medicine Residency

The University of South Dakota Emergency Medicine residency program is an accredited three-year training program that is starting in July of 2026 with six residents. Training will be academic and at a Level 1 Trauma Center, but with a community medicine feel and rural exposure.


Family Medicine Residency

We’re a proud training site of the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Fargo and the Sioux Falls Family Medicine Residency Program. Both programs are designed to equip residents with the expertise they need to provide comprehensive family medicine services in rural and underserved communities.


General Surgery Residency

Sanford Health offers a General Surgery Residency through the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine at the Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and is also a training site for the residency through the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Fargo, North Dakota. This residency trains surgeons to provide excellent surgical care to rural communities and beyond. Residents can get a variety of hands-on experiences and general surgery training to develop their expertise across surgical fields.


Internal Medicine Residency

Sanford Health is a training site for the Internal Medicine Residency with the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences and the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. These programs offer an individualized program structure and additional opportunities with UND’s Hematology-Oncology Fellowship and Geriatrics Fellowship and USD’s Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship and Gastroenterology Fellowship. Residents develop a strong foundation in internal medicine that can be applied to various medical career paths.

An internal medicine residency program is being established in Bismarck, North Dakota, and will welcome its first cohort in 2026.


Neurology Residency

Sanford Health offers training sites for Neurology Residency programs for both the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Fargo, North Dakota, and the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Residents have most of their rotations in their respective cities of Fargo or Sioux Falls. UND's residents do have the option to complete a three-month pediatric neurology rotation at the Sanford Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls.


Orthopedic Surgery Residency

The University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences and Sanford Health Orthopedic Surgery Residency is part of our commitment to educating the next generation of orthopedic surgeons. Our residents observe and participate in a variety of orthopedic procedures such as treatments and surgeries in orthopedic trauma, spine, hand, foot and ankle, sports medicine, oncology and more. We also offer opportunities in research to improve patient care and advance available treatments.


Pathology Residency

Sanford Health is a Sioux Falls training site for the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine Pathology Residency. The program prepares residents with a comprehensive foundation in pathology and gives them opportunities to gain expertise in a variety of subspecialties. Recent graduates of the program have matched with competitive fellowships in surgical pathology, breast pathology, hematopathology, cytopathology and dermatopathology.


Pediatrics Residency

Sanford Health offers pediatrics residency program training sites for the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Fargo, North Dakota, and the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Residents have most of their rotations in either Fargo or Sioux Falls.


Podiatric Residency

Explore the podiatry specialty and get hands-on experiences as a resident in Sanford Health’s Podiatric Residency. You’ll learn through daily interactions with providers and patients and can pursue educational opportunities through a variety of orthopedic surgical cases, trauma and total replacement surgeries.


Psychiatry Residency

Sanford Health is a training site for the Psychiatry Residency program through the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Fargo. This program prepares residents to provide compassionate, patient-centered care in a variety of settings.


Transitional Year Residency

The Transitional Year Residency Programs at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Fargo and the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine in Sioux Falls provide resident physicians a year of clinical experience before they advance to their specialty training. Residents will interact one-on-one with faculty and get exceptional learning opportunities while building strong professional mentorships and relationships.


Fellowship Programs

Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship

Train at the Sanford Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship exposes fellows to a variety of clinical cases, procedures and educational conferences. This program provides training in all required areas of cardiology, including noninvasive cardiology and invasive diagnostic procedures.

The University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences recently established a cardiovascular disease fellowship. This program provides advanced training to prepare fellows for a successful career as a clinical and academic cardiologist. It is a three-year program and will accept two fellows per year starting in 2026.

 

Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship

Formed through a unique partnership between Sanford Health and the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences, the Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship is a comprehensive three-year program. Graduates will be board eligible in both medical oncology and hematology and can observe and participate in a variety of rotations.


Gastroenterology Fellowship

The University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine offers a three-year gastroenterology fellowship program which gives physicians advanced clinical and research experience in the field. Fellows in this program primarily train at the Sanford Center for Digestive Health in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.


Interventional Cardiology Fellowship

The University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine’s one-year Interventional Cardiology Fellowship is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Fellows will experience significant, complex caseloads and graduate with the ability to practice in any setting, including in rural communities.


Surgical Pathology Fellowship

The University of South Dakota Surgical Pathology Fellowship is a one-year accredited fellowship that provides focused training in surgical pathology. Fellows will participate in rotations focused on surgical pathology, frozen sections, consults and subspecialties.


Surgical Critical Care Fellowship

This program will welcome its first cohort in 2026.

Psychology Programs

Predoctoral Internship

Our mission is to train and prepare future psychologists to provide exceptional behavioral health care in underserved rural communities throughout the Midwest. We’ve created a pathway within Sanford Health to help predoctoral interns become licensed and independently functioning psychologists.

The Sanford Health-Psychology Internship Consortium includes three behavioral health training sites in the Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, region. The training program is a yearlong, full-time, 2,000-hour doctoral training experience.

Postdoctoral Residency

Our residency program strengthens the field of behavioral health by supporting the advanced training of postdoctoral psychologists seeking licensure. Residents in this program will work to develop increased competency in their chosen track with a strong emphasis on clinical excellence and scholarship in underserved communities. 

The Sanford Health Postdoctoral Psychology Residency includes three primary training sites in North Dakota and Minnesota. The program is a yearlong, full-time training experience.

Training the Next Generation of Physicians

Our training programs create a sustainable pathway for physicians to start, continue and thrive in their careers at Sanford Health. After finishing their medical education, many of our physicians choose to practice in the communities we serve, and some of them go on to become specialists or program leaders.

ACCME

Countinuing Medical Education

Sanford Medical Education was awarded Accreditation with Commendation from the ACCME through 2021, granting SME six years of accreditation as a provider of CME for physicians. This proves Sanford Health has demonstrated that our evidence-based education truly impacts patient care across the enterprise. Sanford Health offers symposiums, courses, grand rounds, case reviews, M&M conferences, and other regularly scheduled series for providers across the enterprise.


About Sanford Health

Sanford Health is one of the largest health systems in the United States. Our organization is committed to providing an integrated delivery of care to promote wellness in the communities we serve.

As a resident, fellow or medical student training at Sanford Health, you’ll also have access to programs and opportunities with:

Together with our primary academic partners, the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences and the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sanford Health is committed to building a stronger physician workforce. We’re leading the next generation of health care professionals.

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