Curriculum

Each year of residency consists of 13 four-week blocks. All residents will have four weeks of vacation taken annually in one or two blocks. Below is a general outline of the schedule of intern and senior residents.

PGY-1 Residents

• 12 weeks of general medicine
• 6 weeks of night float
• 4 weeks of medical intensive care unit (MICU)
• 4 weeks of cardiac intensive care unit (CICU)
• 2 weeks of inpatient hematology teaching service
• 2 weeks of a subspecialty consult service
• 4 weeks of outpatient medicine
• 1 week of palliative pain management
• 2 weeks of emergency medicine
• 1 week rotation elective (see below)
  • Electives: outpatient gynecology and subspecialty clinics
• 4 weeks of vacation

Here is an example of a PGY-1 schedule from the 2021-2022 year. This resident’s vacation is split into two blocks that are each two weeks long. They are scheduled for two general medicine floor months, one MICU month, one CICU month, and six weeks of night float spread out throughout the year.

Here is what a typical week on the general medicine floor is like, in terms of didactics and other learning opportunities not directly related to patient care. As the year progresses the didactic schedule changes to reflect the ongoing training level of the residents.

PGY-2 Residents

• 4-5 inpatient months (general medicine floors, medical ICU, cardiac ICU, night float, malignant hematology service) per year
• 4 weeks of renal consults
• 4 weeks of infectious disease consults
• 2 weeks of observation unit
• 2 weeks of hematology consults
• 4 weeks of outpatient medicine
• 4 weeks of vacation
• Electives: subspecialty consult services and subspecialty clinics, including an infectious disease rotation at Stroger
• Dedicated block time for research, global health, community health, QI or medical education projects

PGY-3 Residents

• 4-5 inpatient months (general medicine floors, medical ICU, cardiac ICU, night float, malignant hematology service) per year
• 2 weeks of pre-op clinic/medicine consult service
• 2 weeks of geriatric medicine
• 2 weeks of emergency medicine
• 4 weeks of outpatient medicine 
• 4 weeks of vacation
• Electives: subspecialty consult services and subspecialty clinics, including HIV rotation at Stroger
• Dedicated block time for research, global health, or community health, QI or medical education projects

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Outpatient experiences

All categorical interns have a continuity clinic that occurs one half day per week. Residents have the option of choosing between:

• Rush University Internists
• Community Health site (CHC)
  • CHC is the largest volunteer-based free clinic in the nation with a focus on providing a medical home at no cost to low-income, uninsured adults.  

In addition to continuity clinic and the month-long outpatient (ambulatory) block, outpatient clinic experiences are included in most Internal Medicine subspecialties. Other non-Internal Medicine outpatient electives include gynecology, sports medicine, palliative care, neurology, ophthalmology, and dermatology.

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Didactics

• Repeatedly throughout the week
  • Intern report: a mix of both case based and lecture style reports, moderated by a Chief Resident and/or an Attending or Fellow Physician 
  • Senior resident report: case based, moderated by a Chief Resident and an Attending Physician
  • Noon conference: lecture style conference, led by an Attending Physician or Fellow Physician, typically covering core internal medicine areas of learning including diversity and health equity, and physician wellness
• Weekly
  • Internal Medicine Grand Rounds: hosted once weekly, presented by Rush faculty or invited guest speakers
• Monthly
  • Clinical Pathophysiology Case Conference: presented by senior residents, during their PGY-2 or PGY-3 year, while rotating on either their outpatient or research block
  • Research Grand Rounds: presented by local, national and international researchers to present research focused seminars to students, house staff, and faculty
• Annually
  • Internal Medicine Board Review: hosted throughout the second half of the academic year as part of the noon conference lecture series
  • Evidence Based Medicine, Interdisciplinary Learning, “Real World” Topics: once a week during the outpatient month we review the basics of how to critically appraise a trial, as well as introduce different systems based learning such as meeting with PT/OT, Hospital Chaplains, or an introduction to physician compensation 

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Ultrasound Experience

1. Ten hands-on ultrasound sessions, occurring monthly
   1. Session 1: Standardized Patient in Sim Center
   2. Session 2a/2b: Cardiac
   3. Session 3a/3b: Lung
   4. Session 4a/4b: Thoracic Review
   5. Session 5: Thoracic Pathology Review
   6. Session 6a/6b: Vascular
   7. Session 7a/7b: Intra-abdominal Structures
   8. Sessions 8a/8b: Vascular/Abdomen Review
   9. Session 9: Vascular/Abdomen Pathology Review
   10. Session 10: Standardized Patient in Sim Center - Final Assessment
2. Five lectures to be recorded and distributed to residents
   • Topics include: introduction to point-of-care ultrasound, vascular/venous access, cardiac, lung, and abdomen
   • Residents will be responsible for reviewing lecture material prior to relevant ultrasound session
3. Post-session quiz on material covered
   • Track residents use of ultrasound during GMF months

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