Didactics

Curriculum Overview

The primary purpose of Internal Medicine residency training is to provide residents with a well-balanced educational program covering multiple clinical disciplines designed to facilitate the preparation for this specific specialty.

We will utilize the American College of Physicians (ACP) Clinical Practice Guidelines for care of patients.  We will also demonstrate substantial compliance with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Educations (ACGME) requirements for residency in Internal Medicine.

Morning Patient Rounds and Handoffs will be held daily in the inpatient units. An hour-long Internal Medicine Afternoon Case Report consisting of discussion around a case report of a current patient are held on Thursdays. Didactic Lectures are scheduled during the Academic Half Day on Wednesday afternoons from 1-5pm. Internal Medicine Residents will be taught through hands-on training, didactics curriculum, including lectures, workshops, SIM lab simulations, employee development department lectures, quality department lectures, and community partners. Each Resident will be required to present interactive clinical case presentations during the didactic sessions throughout the academic year. Journal Club will be held for one hour every four weeks during the academic half day.  An off-site Internal Medicine Wellness Retreat will be held with faculty involvement annually.

As part of the Internal Medicine didactic program, an evaluation form for each of the didactic sessions will be sent out to be completed by the residents attending the session via the residency management system. The evaluations will be monitored by the Program Director, presented to the Program Evaluation Committee (PEC), and incorporated into the Annual Program Evaluation (APE).

There will be multiple didactic presentations provided to the residents and by the residents throughout their training.

The residency’s didactic program is structured as a weekly academic half-day comprised of a rotating schedule of clinical medicine/basic sciences including:

• Journal Club
• Morbidity & Mortality
• Board Review
• Professional Development
• Simulation Training
• Quality Improvement & Patient Safety

In addition to these offerings, residents assigned to inpatient rotations (inpatient medicine, ICU) participate in weekly afternoon case report with their inpatient team and attending physicians. All residents are expected to attend the didactic program offerings unless on night medicine vacation. We will also schedule monthly Grand Rounds with internal and external speakers presenting important topics. Didactics will also be available by videoconferencing as needed.

Residents also receive web-based annual training on HIPAA, recommended quality improvement and patient safety techniques, Electronic Medical Record updates, and other hospital-wide required training.

Residents will also be expected to complete modules from the AMA GME Competency Education Program, and will have access to online medical education courses, board review, journals and textbooks, medical news/updates, and distance learning solutions.

Didactics Program

Grand Rounds: Monthly sessions separate from the AHD with organizational and invited speakers presenting on important topics.

Morning Rounds and Handoff: The attending physician for each inpatient teaching team leads interactive rounds on their unit each weekday. Residents present each patient case to the attending. The attending physician uses this time to provide feedback to the residents on presentation skills, clinical thinking, and treatment plan formation. Members of the interdisciplinary team that includes nurses, social workers, case management, and pharmacy provide input into patient care as needed during these rounds, which enriches the experience by providing a more holistic perspective of patient care from medicine reconciliation, preventing drug interactions, and anticipating discharge or transfer needs.

Afternoon Report: Case-based conference where learners and teachers interact and discuss patient care, allowing learners to develop their medical knowledge and patient care competency. This conference is scheduled in the afternoon to facilitate patient flow and resident workflows and occurs on Thursday afternoon.

Academic Half Day (AHD)

The Internal Medicine residency program utilizes an academic half day scheduled every Wednesday from 1-5pm. The components of the AHD include the following Educational Activities.

AHD Educational Activities

Clinical Medicine/Basic Science Lectures: As part of the academic half-day, residents receive one to two hours of program curriculum weekly which covers the development of medical knowledge in each of the clinical specialties of Internal Medicine and application of evidence-based medicine to patient care. These lectures include traditional presentation format and small group, role play, case studies, and clinical skills practice. Presentations and handouts for these lectures are archived in the RMS and accessible to residents online 24/7.

Journal Club: Monthly one-hour session during the academic half day where residents are mentored and assigned to review and discuss journal articles that demonstrate evidence-based and value-based research which may directly affect patient care. Presentations and handouts for these lectures are archived in the Residency Management System and accessible to residents online 24/7.

Morbidity & Mortality Conference: A one-hour session held monthly to track and discuss medical errors in an environment that facilitates learning, encourages accountability, and promotes leadership and academic development.

Board Review: Monthly one-hour session where the chief resident or a designated faculty member practices board questions utilizing established board preparation materials. There are also presentations on board-exam strategies, and medical knowledge supplemental presentations as required. The presentations and handouts for these lectures are archived in the Residency Management System and accessible to residents online 24/7.

Professional Development: Quarterly sessions with our employee development department focusing on skills related to professionalism, diversity, and inter-professional communication.

Quality Improvement & Patient Safety: 30-to 60-minute series scheduled with representatives from our Quality Department to discuss care coordination, transitions of care, effective care along the continuum, quality data collection and methods (including presenting residency specific data), cost effectiveness and value-based care, root cause analysis, risk management, along with other topics. Also, when a resident completes a quality improvement or patient safety initiative, they will present their findings to peers, faculty, and other attendees. Presentations and handouts for these lectures are archived in the Residency Management System and accessible to residents online 24/7.

Simulation: Quarterly sessions that will focus on a clinical theme for the day with various simulated patient scenarios around that theme. These sessions will occur during our academic half day at the Willis Knighton Innovation Center. We will also plan an annual procedure day where residents can practice procedures such as central line placement, ABG, arthrocentesis, paracentesis, intubation, etc., in a controlled environment on procedure trainers.