Curriculum

The Internal Medicine curriculum provides both general medical care and subspecialty experience to residents through a

mix of primary and tertiary care patients. The curriculum and rotation schedule are designed to give the flexibility necessary to meet the individual resident's educational needs.

Teaching on each general medical service is overseen by one teaching attending only, who reviews patient care each day with the resident team.

Throughout the residency, residents follow a panel of patients seen in the Physician Practice Center at 17th & Chew St. Additional outpatient experience is gained during subspecialty and ambulatory medicine rotations.

This is a categorical track. Residents successfully completing the first year will automatically advance to the second year unless otherwise desired.

Categorical PGY-1 Allopathic Resident Schedule
General Medicine	2-3 blocks
Critical Care	2-3 blocks
Ambulatory Medicine	10-1 week blocks
Emergency Medicine	1 block
Night Float	1-2 2-week blocks
Selective/Elective Rotations	2-3 blocks

Categorical PGY-1 Osteopathic Resident Schedule
General Medicine	2-3 blocks
Critical Care	2-3 blocks
Family Medicine	1 block
Ambulatory Medicine	10-1 week blocks
Emergency Medicine	1 block
Anesthesia	1/2 block
Night Float	1-2 2-week blocks
Selective/Elective Rotations	2-3 blocks

Categorical PGY-2 Resident Schedule
General Medicine	1-2 blocks
Critical Care	1-2 blocks
Ambulatory Medicine	10-1 week blocks
Night Float	1-2 2-week blocks
General Medicine - Junior Attending	1 block (if scheduled PGY-2)
Elective/Subspecialty rotations	4-6 blocks

Categorical PGY-3 Resident Schedule
General Medicine	1-2 blocks
Critical Care	1-2 blocks
Ambulatory Medicine	10-1 week blocks
Night Float	1-2 2-week blocks
General Medicine - Junior Attending	1 block (if not scheduled PGY-2)
Elective/Subspecialty rotations	4-6 blocks

*1 Block=Approximately 4 weeks

Subspecialty Rotations

Training in all the major Internal Medicine subspecialties is required during the three year residency. These include rotations in the following: Cardiology (through a critical care month), Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Geriatrics, Hematology/Oncology, Infectious Disease, Nephrology, Neurology, Pulmonary, and Rheumatology.

Elective Rotations

Elective rotations available include the following: Allergy, Anesthesiology, Cardiology, Dermatology, ENT, Family Medicine (required for osteopathic interns), Forensic Pathology, General Surgery, HIV Medicine, Nutrition, OB/GYN, Ophthalmology, Palliative Medicine, Pediatrics, Physical Medicine and Rehab, Radiology, Radiation Oncology, and Sports Medicine. In addition, residents are allowed to participate in away electives, including international opportunities.

General Internal Medicine Service (GIMS)

There are four GIMS resident-covered services, termed ECLS A, ECLS B, GIMS C and GIMS D. The medicine teams are composed of two core teaching faculty Ward services and two Hospitalist services. In addition, there is a General Medicine Junior Attending rotation where a senior resident is able to work alongside either a private Internist or a Hospitalist and work in the same fashion as an attending.

Throughout residency, each resident will be scheduled to rotate within different services so as to experience all the different types of inpatient practices available.

Board Preparation

LVHN continues to maintain a high board pass rate on the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) certification exam. The Residency utilizes a few methods to help prepare our residents for the board examination including the following:

MKSAP books or CD's are provided to each of the residents and online tests are required to facilitate and promote continued reading and studying
Monthly MKSAP review sessions are offered by the Chief Medical Resident and a core faculty member
The ACP In-service training exam is taken each year by the residents, assessing current knowledge and offering analysis for needed areas of improvement
PGY-3 residents are also offered a two week block of study time at the end of their residency for board review and preparation for fellowship (if applicable).

Professional Development

Each Wednesday afternoon, residents are offered selected meetings for professional development. Such sessions have included resident teaching skills, understanding the healthcare system, physical diagnosis skills, giving bad news, and practice management seminars. In addition, all our PGY-1 residents go through the OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Encounter) program, which enables self-assessment and guidance on certain principles as agenda setting and patient-centered care.

Schwartz Rounds

Each month a multi-disciplinary meeting is held to discuss a patient case that had an impact on the hospital staff and our interactions with patients and their families. Physicians, nurses and healthcare staff are invited for an open round-table discussion on various aspects of the case. A team consisting of a physician and medical educator lead the discussion. Lehigh Valley Health Network is only one of a few hospitals nationally that participate in these unique healthcare provider forums. See the Schwartz Rounds website at theschwartzcenter.org for more information.

Fun and Fellowship

LVHN IM residents are encouraged to engage in social activities outside the hospital and workday. A social chair committee coordinates social activities for the residency, including a monthly dinner club. Each year, all medicine residents are invited to atend an Iron Pigs baseball game. During the spring, interested residents are treated to a Spa Day for relaxation. Other activities have included attending a haunted house, bowling nights, and volleyball games.

Internal Medicine Residency