Everything and Everywhere: Exposure to a range of practice environments

Scheduling Model: (4) outpatient/consult weeks + (8) inpatient weeks

The first year of training is designed to introduce residents to the range of practice: general internal medicine and subspecialty care, inpatient and outpatient, wards and consult services. We pride of ourselves on providing trainees with an appropriate balance of autonomy and support, ensuring excellence in both patient care and resident education. Each service has a single attending physician who is a full-time faculty member. Attending physicians are always available to advise and assist. In addition, all medical and surgical subspecialty consultants are immediately available 24 hours a day.

• Tinsley Harrison Ward (UH)

• VA Ward

• Night Float (VA & UH)

• Cardiac Care Unit (UH)

• Medical Intensive Care Unity (UH)

• Subspecialty Ward (UH)

• Subspecialty Consult

• Geriatrics/Palliative Care

• Ambulatory Block

• Cooper Green

Taking the Lead: Immersion in subspecialty practice

Scheduling Model: (4) outpatient/consult weeks + (4) inpatient weeks

The second year of traning is aimed at expanding the breadth of the resident's knowledge base while providing in-depth exposure to state-of-the-art practice of the various medical subspecialties. The PGY-2 year is almost evenly split between inpatient ward rotations and consultation services, mostly in the subspecialties. The goal is to provide in-depth exposure to the fields within internal medicine so that PGY-2s develop the range of skillsets required to become well-rounded physicians.

Other rotations include neurology/palliative care, VA urgent care clinic, and an elective month. On subspecialty in-patient services, the PGY-2 resident serves as the team leader and further develops supervisory and teaching skills while working with PGY-1 residents and medical students. On consultation services, the PGY-2 resident initially evaluates patients and then presents the findings and recommendations to the consult attending physician for review and discussion. Consultation services also include participation in subspecialty clinics, conferences, and other activities of the devisions. Didactic and bedside instruction is provided in the special skills and techniques inherent to the various subspecialities. 

• Medical Intensive Care Unit (VA/UH)

• Cardiology Care Unity (UH)

• Subspecialty Ward (UH)

• Neurology (VA/UH)

• Subspecialty Consult (UH)

• Urgent Care Clinic (VA)

• Ambulatory Block

• Elective/Research

Tying it all together: Preparation for independent practice

Scheduling Model: (4) outpatient/consult weeks + (4) inpatient weeks

Similar to the PGY-2 year, time is evenly divided between ward and consultation services. While the consult rotations are similar to the PGY-2 year, the majority of ward months for the PGY-3 residents are spent on the general medicine inpatient services at University Hospital and the VA. The intention is to match the most senior and experienced residents with the rotations that require more responsibility for patient care, supervising and teaching. Working closely with the attending physician, the PGY-3 resident coordinates work rounds and teaching rounds for the team.

• Tinsley Harrison Ward (UH)

• VA Ward

• Night Float

• Medical Intensive Care Unit (VA/UH)

• Emergency Medicine

• Subspecialty Consult

• Ambulatory Block

• Elective/Research

Residents will have one full day of clinic per week on non-ward months and no clinic on ward months. This allows residents to focus on their present service.

PGY2 and PGY3 residents can spend up to a month on an international rotation that they receive funding for through the residency program. Over the past 5 years residents have gone to Cameroon, Honduras, India, Jordan, Kenya, Panama, Peru, and Zambia. Residents can also request exposure to pertinent clinics during their block month, such as Travelers Health Clinic, the 1917 HIV Clinic, and Tuberculosis clinic among others.

The medical education elective is a one-month rotation that aims to give residents a solid background in effective teaching. It is offered to PGY2/PGY3 residents. The course explores the history of medical education and the principles of adult learning. Residents will then participate in a number of interactive discussions, didactics, demonstrations, exercises, and practice teaching sessions aimed at making them more effective and efficient medical teachers.

The Health Care Disparities selective is a one-month tailored experience in learning about disparities in care among different patient populations. The rotation includes clinical work, didactics, and scholarly activity. Clinical work is done at Cooper Green Hospital, VA homeless clinic, and the Jefferson County Health Department. Didactics include one half day per week workshops in various subjects such as health policy, reducing physician bias, and disparities in health outcomes. The scholarly activity is conducted with one of the advisors for the rotation.

The QI/Patient Safety selective is a rotation offered to PGY2/PGY3 residents. This one-month rotation gives residents exposure to various aspects of quality control. Residents attend multi-disciplinary patient safety conferences, join a hospital patient safety team assisting with root cause analyses, perform patient safety rounds, and assist with Internal Medicine MMI conference.

The Women's Health (WH) Scholar Selective is rotation offered to provide residents a one month experience in Women's Health. Residents rotate through the Gynecology and Women's Health clinics at BVAMC and UAB, evaluate landmark studies in Women’s Health, attend the WH journal club and create a scholarly project with guidance from the Women's Health Track faculty.

Research, Medical Genetics, Allergy, Inpatient Hematology, Hospitalist Elective, Community Preceptorship