Dear Prospective Resident,
Thank you for your interest in the medical residency program at Lehigh Valley Health Network. Graduate medical education is a valued tradition which began more than a half-century ago at our hospital. Lehigh Valley Health Network is very aware of its responsibility to prepare physicians for the healthcare challenges of a system that is in transition. We hope you will find in this information the answers to your questions regarding our graduate medical education opportunities.
Lehigh Valley Health Network offers a three-year internal medicine program and a traditional osteopathic rotating internship that transitions into the IM program with a resident-centered design of the curriculum. These post-graduate education programs provide outstanding opportunities for clinical and academic learning, with an emphasis on bedside teaching, quality and training future health care leaders.
Residents learn by caring for a manageable number of patients with various diagnoses and levels of acuity. Typically, a PGY-1 resident follows eight to 12 patients at a time. The internal medicine program adheres to all caps and duty-hour restrictions as required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
Lehigh Valley Health Network is becoming a major clinical campus of the University of South Florida College of Medicine. This affiliation strengthens our medical education programs. Each year, the hospital provides elective and required rotations in more than 20 subspecialties for medical students preparing for their postgraduate training.
The Department of Medicine continues to provide national leadership in postgraduate medical education. Dr. Shalaby and Dr. Smith have been working with the Institute for Health Care Improvement and have led Lehigh Valley Health Network's efforts to create an Exemplary Care and Learning Site. Dr. Costello is dedicated to continuously improving the curriculum and content of our residency programs. Dr. Mariotti is the co-chair for the Quality Improvement Council Initiative. Dr. Pistoria is a member of the Society of Hospital Medicine's Education Committee, is the President of Medical Staff and was lead editor of The Core Competencies in Hospital Medicine.
One of the largest hospitals in Pennsylvania, Lehigh Valley Health Network meets the medical needs of the population of the Lehigh Valley, eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. Our physicians and healthcare professionals treat patients whose illnesses range from the simple to the most complex. This patient mix provides an ideal clinical environment for the education of medical students and physicians-in-training. Unlike a university hospital where a few medical subspecialties may be emphasized at the sacrifice of broad clinical education experience, Lehigh Valley Health Network's diverse patient population offers a variety of primary, secondary and tertiary care learning opportunities. In many ways, our hospital merges the resources and benefits of both community hospitals and large academic medical centers.
Many awards recognize us for providing superior care. For example, U.S. News & World Report consistently names us one of "America's Best Hospitals." Plus, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recognizes us for having the highest heart attack survival rate among the 4,000 U.S. hospitals that provide heart attack care. Other organizations recognize our health network as being a great place to work. In fact, FORTUNE magazine says we're one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, while Modern Health care says we're one of the 100 Best Places to Work in Health care.
We also are recognized for the quality of our care. This focus on quality is a vital part of our residency curriculum. For example, the American Nurses Credentialing Center names us a MagnetTM Hospital, the highest honor for nursing excellence. And the Leapfrog Group says we take "big leaps" in quality and safety.
Even the way in which we construct buildings receives national attention. Two of our new buildings are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified, the national benchmark for "green" buildings.
The challenging nature of Lehigh Valley Health Network's medical education programs is supported by a progressive Department of Medicine and a dedicated faculty of teaching physicians. These doctors, whose efforts focus primarily on patient care and resident training, are also active in clinical research.
Modern facilities and state-of-the-art equipment underscore the hospital's priority of offering the best environment in which to learn, work and provide medical care. With a national reputation for quality and patient safety and recognition with many national awards makes the institution ideal for medical education.
In addition to quality postgraduate training, residents receive a generous and innovative benefits package which equals or exceeds the compensation offered by most other teaching hospitals. On behalf of the Department of Medicine at Lehigh Valley Health Network, we wish you success as you prepare for your career as a physician.
On behalf of the Department of medicine at Lehigh Valley Health Network, we would like to wish you success as you prepare for your career as a physician.
Sincerely,
Marc Shalaby, MD, FACP
Program Director, Internal Medicine and Transitional Year Residency Programs
Program Director, Internal Medicine and Transitional Year Residency Programs
Brian Costello, DO
Program Director, Osteopathic Internship Program
Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine and Transitional Year Residency Programs
Stacey Smith, MD, FACP
Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine and Transitional Year Residency Programs
Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine and Transitional Year Residency Programs
Jennifer Mariotti, DO, FACP
Assistant Program Director, Internal Medicine and Transitional Year Residency Programs
Assistant Program Director, Internal Medicine and Transitional Year Residency Programs
Michael J. Pistoria, DO, FACP, FHM
Assistant Program Director, Internal Medicine and Transitional Year Residency Programs
