About the Residency Program
Student Information
The education and clinical training of internal medicine residents is a central focus of the Department of Internal Medicine. The curriculum is designed to allow the graduating resident to confidently enter into the practice of general medicine in an outpatient office or hospital setting, and to function as the leader of an integrated care team. We are dedicated to instruction in all aspects of internal medicine, including medical knowledge, humanistic qualities, clinical skills, decision analysis, evidence-based medicine, research, computer skills, and medical economics.
The Department of Internal Medicine has approximately 320 general medical beds and 16 critical care beds. Admissions in the Department of Internal Medicine alone exceed 20,000 patients per year, generating a wide spectrum of patients and pathology. Full-time, board-certified physicians head the Divisions of Allergy/Immunology, Cardiology, Dermatology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Geriatrics, Hematology/ Oncology, Infectious Diseases, Nephrology, Palliative Care, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, and Rheumatology. Across these divisions, there are over 50 full-time physicians whose major responsibilities entail resident education. The Department of Internal Medicine also has a voluntary admitting staff of over 450 physicians. Both the full-time physicians and the large voluntary faculty are committed to the teaching and supervision of medical residents and students.
Curriculum and Structure of the Program
The three-year residency program meets the requirements of the American Board of Internal Medicine and is fully accredited by the ACGME. The didactic curriculum includes bedside teaching rounds, morning report, ambulatory clinic conferences, weekly medical grand rounds, a weekly morbidity and mortality conference, an extensive noon conference series, and weekly subspecialty conferences. Journal Club is held monthly and stresses an understanding of the critical review of medical literature.
There are currently five medical inpatient services, in addition to the intensive care units. Each team has one general internist assigned to take care of "service" patients on the floor, i.e. patients who have no private physician. These internists are among the core teaching faculty of the Department, and make daily rounds with the residents to discuss appropriate patient management.
Three of the five teams have a clinical focus: one is on geriatrics, one on hematology/oncology, and the third on neurology. The other two teams have a mix of general medical patients. In all cases, residents write all the orders for their patients, and are intimately involved with the attending staff at every level of patient management.
All inpatient service teams have bedside teaching rounds with an assigned attending physician once a week. These case discussions emphasize oral presentation skills, along with taking medical histories and bedside physical examination skills. Discussions often include medical decision-making, sharing of medical evidence, and the relationship of paramedical issues to the patients (e.g., ethics, socioeconomic considerations, psychological and family issues). Residents receive immediate feedback about their performance.
The bulk of training in intensive care takes place in the second year of training. Second-year (PGY2) residents will have rotations on the cardiac care unit (CCU) and telemetry service, and in the medical intensive care unit (ICU). These rotations include daily rounds and supervision from the critical care faculty, as well as with the subspecialty fellows.
NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital has a close affiliation with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), which is widely recognized as the premier center for the treatment of cancer in the United States. Our residents spend an average of two months at MSKCC, mostly in the first and second years, where they participate in providing state-of-the-art cancer therapy. This rotation affords our residents the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the fields of hematology, oncology, radiation therapy, nutrition, pain management, and infectious diseases of the immunocompromised host. Because this rotation is highly regarded among our house staff, it should come as no surprise that many residents choose to return to MSKCC for an elective in their third year.
Medical Research
An interest in research is a vital component of the well-rounded, modern physician. The Department of Internal Medicine is committed to helping all of our residents to develop research skills during their training. In fact, completion of an approved scholarly activity is mandatory for all residents in our program. We are proud of the many important discoveries made here and of our respected record of publications in peer-reviewed journals. Our residents are frequently invited to present their work at regional and national conferences and have been honored with both national and local awards for their research.
Chief Residents
The chief residents are responsible for the administration and supervision of medical resident staff members and serve as liaison between the director of the department and the resident staff members.
Fellowships
ACGME-accredited fellowship programs are currently available in the subspecialty areas of cardiology, interventional cardiology, cardiac electrophysiology, gastroenterology, geriatrics, hematology/oncology and pulmonary/critical care medicine.
Insurance & Benefits
Through a collective bargaining agreement between NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist and the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR), each resident is covered by the Voluntary Hospital Staff Benefits Plan. Representatives of the CIR will furnish information regarding the specific benefit plan provisions or you may contact the CIR Benefits Office directly.