Residency Programs in Medicine
Categorical Residency Program
The three-year Categorical Internal Medicine Residency Program is a traditional program designed to prepare physicians for practice in general internal medicine or training in a subspecialty. Our program is continually evolving to respond to changes in medical practice.
Rotations are four weeks in duration. The program is designed to provide residents with 24 rotations of direct patient care responsibility over a three-year period. In addition, residents spend 11 to 12 rotations in elective and subspecialty services. Residents are able to use one elective month for research.
The categorical program is offered to approximately 20 individuals each year.
Rotation Schedule by Post Graduate Year
Each year consists of 13 four-week rotations. The block rotations are divided as described in the table below:
| | PGY-1 | PGY-2 | PGY-3 |
| Floor | 7-8 | 3-4 | 3-4 |
| ICU | 2
| 3 | 1
|
| Specialties | 2-3 | 4-5 | 7-8 |
| Emergency Medicine | 0 | 1 | 0
|
| 4 Week Vacation | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Specialty Rotations:
Ambulatory Cardiology (2 week)
Pulmonary Medicine
Nephrology
Dermatology/Psychiatry
Endocrinology
Rheumatology
Neurology
Infectious Disease
Hematology
Oncology
Gastroenterology
Physical Therapy and Rehabilition
Geriatrics (UIC)
General Medicine Consult (UIC)
Ambulatory Medical Specialties
Urgent Care (2 week or 4 week)
Night Float (2 week)
Research (4 week)
Specialty Rotations (UIC)
Palliative Care
Sports Medicine
Ambulatory Medicine
One-third of the training program is spent in the ambulatory setting. Residents gain experience in various types of outpatient environments, such as the Adult Medicine Center located at Christ Medical Center, and private offices of general internists and subspecialists.
The core of the ambulatory experience takes place in the Adult Medicine Center. There, the resident takes full responsibility for a panel of patients, which includes managed care practice. The principles of health maintenance, preventive medicine and cost-effective primary care are emphasized. Residents follow their own patients in the event they are hospitalized, providing continuity of care.
First-year residents spend one-half day per week in the Adult Medicine Center. In subsequent years, residents are assigned an additional one-half day per week in a private physician’s office to supplement their outpatient training and gain experience in real-world medicine.
Other ambulatory experiences include a Non-Internal Medicine Specialty Rotation wherein residents learn to evaluate and manage a wide variety of problems frequently encountered by the primary care provider, such as orthopedic and ophthalmologic problems. Other electives conducted primarily in the ambulatory setting include rheumatology, endocrinology and dermatology. Additionally, other subspecialty rotations have ambulatory components.
Educational Support
Presently, Advocate Christ Medical Center allots up to $3,000 for each PGY-2 and PGY-3 resident for professional and educational expenses. This fund may be used to reimburse costs for approved conferences, travel (including travel for interviews), books, computer programs, etc. In addition, categorical residents receive money toward Cecil's or Harrison's Textbook of Medicine in the PGY-1 year and a subscription to the New England Journal of Medicine in the PGY-2 and PGY-3 year. Throughout all three years, categorical residents receive ACP-ASIM membership, which includes a subscription to the Annals of Internal Medicine and ACP Journal Club. The program provides all residents with a subscription to Up-To-Date.
Scholarly Activity
To facilitate the development of critical thinking, we encourage all residents to participate in research or other scholarly activity, such as case review or clinical vignette presentation. These activities are supported and recognized by an annual Clinical Vignette Competition and Residency Research Fair. The program enjoy strong representation in the American College of Physicians Associates Meeting at the local and national level.
In addition, computers throughout the hospital have Internet access to facilitate on-site medical searches and evidence-based medicine. This facilitates easy access to medical text books and journals online as well as Up-To-Date.
Preliminary Internship
The one-year Preliminary Internship is offered to applicants who seek one year of training in general internal medicine before residency training in other fields. The schedule of rotation and the range of responsibilities is similar to those of the first year of the three-year program in internal medicine.
The program is offered to approximately five individuals each year.
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