Program Details

A strong foundation is the key to any successful academic institution. At Hackensack University Medical Center, we have built our Internal Medicine Residency program on that very principle. The tireless efforts of the physicians and staff have developed a program that is strong within every subspecialty within Internal Medicine, while allowing for unparalleled flexibility and input from residents. Resident feedback is a crucial part of the weekly discussions with faculty who foster an environment of teamwork and cooperation.

Residents shaping their own education:

• Protected conference time
• Continual refinement of curriculum
• Priority in resident education

Research:

John Theurer Cancer Center and Heart and Vascular Hospital are national leaders in research. The approachable and supportive faculty provide unparalleled opportunities for residents to become involved in research and to present in national forums. In addition, our innovative department of medicine offers opportunities in research in endocrinology, critical care, quality and patient safety.

Progressive curriculum:

• Shaped by resident feedback
• Team-based learning
• Incorporation of the Simulation Lab: The residency has a dedicated Simulation Laboratory and “Sim Robot.” Simulation will allow residents to act out case scenarios in a controlled setting and receive immediate feedback from attending physicians. We utilize standardized patients to simulate challenging patient encounters and to assess clinical reasoning skills. In addition to the hospital-based simulation lab, we utilize the state-of-the-art simulation suite at the medical school for resident education and assessment.

Leadership-Committees:

• Education and Conference Committee
• Faculty partnerships to optimize conferences
• Lecture/presentation evaluations
• Audio/Visual assistance

1-1 Mentorship & Coaching:

• Ease of access to program director, assistant program director, program coordinator, chairman and all faculty
• 1-on-1 mentorship with Clinical Coaches
• Ease of availability with research mentors
• Work with faculty on resident presentations
• Renowned Board Review course

Residents as Teacher Curriculum:

Recognizing the integral role residents play as educators to medical students and patients, one rotation is dedicated to enhancing the resident teaching skills. Faculty with advance backgrounds in medical education will provide over 20 hours of instruction on how to be an effective teacher and how to integrate that teaching into the routine of patient care.

Patient Safety and Quality:

Dedicated patient safety curriculum which allows each resident to become a Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) by National Patient Safety Foundation.

Additional Highlights:

• Direct supervision of all procedures and patient care with attendings who are enthusiastic and dedicated to teaching residents
• An extensive online library of all lectures, case presentation and key journal articles.

Ambulatory Clinic

Our program has placed a great deal of importance on training in the outpatient setting as we feel it is essential to the development of competent physicians. We have resident run Internal Medicine Academic Practice. You will have a rich and robust experience managing complex medical problems in addition to delivering basic primary care. There is an emphasis on continuity which will allow residents to follow their own panel of patients for the duration of the three years. This is where you will have an opportunity to develop relationships with patients and see them as people separate from their illness. At the same time, you will have an opportunity to dig into their social determinants of health.

There is a separate ambulatory curriculum, which will cover various topics including, screening, hypertension, asthma, diabetes, thyroid disease, back pain, headache, high value low cost care, evidence-based medicine etc. We also have our own ambulatory journal club and resident report.

Conferences

Internal Medicine Residency Program Conferences

Our educational framework consists of a combination of supervised clinical care and formal didactic teaching programs. The residents are expected to attend the various conferences and have ‘protected time’ so they can attend without distractions.

Internal Medicine Core Lecture Series

This continuing series of lectures is based on the educational objectives and curriculum established by Hackensack University Medical Center to provide a solid foundation in essential primary and subspecialty topics. The lectures are given at noon time and are grouped on a monthly basis by field of medicine. In addition, there are monthly Journal Club and EKG conferences, as well as weekly Grand Rounds and Resident Report.

Core Lecture Series Topics include: Emergencies, Critical Care, Pulmonary, Cardiology, Nephrology, Gastroenterology, Infectious Disease, General Internal Medicine, Endocrine, Hematology, Oncology, Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, & Geriatrics