University of Virginia Health System

TRAINING TRACKS  |   ROTATIONS  |   DIDACTICS & SCHEDULES  |   RESEARCH & SERVICE

The goal of residency training in Internal Medicine at the University of Virginia is to guide each individual to develop to his or her maximum potential. Developing individual interests and experiences – whether domestic or international, clinical or research, established or new – is encouraged. To meet this goal, a variety of Training Tracks is incorporated into the training program.

 

The Categorical training track is the traditional track at UVa and emphasizes training in general internal medicine with a focus on specialty and hospital-based practice. Numerous outpatient opportunities in internal medicine are included in this track. In addition to providing a core base of rotations on general internal medicine clinics and wards, the program provides numerous consultative specialty rotations which expose the resident to both inpatient and outpatient problems for which referral is needed.

Distinctive Features include:

• Rotations through an inpatient Hematology-Oncology Service, Digestive Health Service, and Acute Cardiology Service (separate from the Coronary Care Unit) in addition the the General Medicine Services. This allows for inpatient exposure to both general internal medicine and the major subspecialities taught by subspecialists.
  
• Rotations through the Medical Intensive Care Unit and Coronary Care Unit with a "hands on" core curriculum stressing fundamentals of hemodynamics, mechanical ventilation and ample opportunity for bedside procedures
  
• Many opportunities for the intern and resident to perform procedures including central venous lines, Swan-Ganz catheter monitoring, arterial lines, thoracentesis, paracentesis, lumbar puncture, arthrocentesis, and ventilator management
  
• Faculty mentorship from the beginning of internship to help guide and support residents with their career choices
  
• The ability to tailor elective time to maximize exposure to a wide range of internationally recognized faculty in clinical and research venues
  
• An intensive course in clinical investigation during the second year of residency. This course teaches residents the essential skills needed for developing sound research proposals. (see Resident Research)

For further information about the Categorical Track, please feel free to write, call, or e-mail:

Gerald R. Donowitz, M.D.
Professor and Residency Program Director
Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health
P.O. Box 801343, UVa Health System
Charlottesville, VA 22908-1343
Tel: 434-924-1918

The Primary Care track is designed for individuals seeking a career in general internal medicine in either academia or private practice. The UVa Primary Care track is one of the most established programs of its type in the country. This track offers a comprehensive training experience that will prepare you to be as comfortable on a home visit as in the ICU. Throughout the three years of residency, increasing ambulatory experiences are included.

PGY-1 Intern Year

• 1 month community practice block at Northridge Internal Medicine, a model faculty practice in Charlottesville, takes the place of an inpatient rotation in general medicine. This allows for an intensive one-to-one learning experience with faculty mentors.
  
• 1 month rotation in office gynecology at our Student Health Department, mentored by one of UVa's most distinguished teachers
  
• 1 month geriatrics rotation, featuring primary care geriatrics, academic nursing home rounds, interdisciplinary care, and home visits

PGY-2 Year

• 2 month community practice block at our University Physicians-Orange practice in nearby Orange, Virginia, a rural sociodemographically diverse community. This practice is one of the longest running faculty practices in the nation and is staffed by 6 full-time UVa general internist clinician-educators.

PGY-3 Year

• 1 month community practice block at Central Virginia Community Health Center, a nationally recognized health center serving the rural poor of Buckingham County, Virginia
  
• 1 month block at one of several teaching practices in Charlottesville
  
• Opportunities to become competent in cardiac stress testing (leading to certification)
  
• A quarterly “Residency to Reality” evening seminar series for primary care track residents, focusing on career options, job searching, what to look for in a practice, contract negotiations, and the practical aspects of starting out in practice

For further information about the Primary Care Track, please feel free to write, call, or e-mail:

Andrew M. D. Wolf, M.D.
Associate Professor and Primary Care Training Track Coordinator
Division of General Medicine and Geriatrics
P.O. Box 800744, UVa Health System
Charlottesville, VA 22908-0744
Tel: 434-982-3458

The Preliminary Track is designed to allow individuals to gain a broad experience in Internal Medicine before continuing their careers in other medical disciplines. The year includes inpatient rotations on the general medicine services, Medical Intensive Care Unit, Coronary Care Unit, Hematology-Oncology, and Digestive Health. Although preliminary year interns do not have a continuity clinic of their own, they spend one ambulatory rotation as triage physician in the continuity clinic allowing for exposure to community medical practice in the ambulatory setting. No other distinction is made between preliminary year interns and those in the Categorical and Primary Care tracks.

For further information about the Preliminary Track, please feel free to write, call, or e-mail:

Gerald R. Donowitz, M.D.
Professor and Residency Program Director
Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health
P.O. Box 801343, UVa Health System
Charlottesville, VA 22908-1343
Tel: 434-924-1918

The Clinical Investigator Track provides the opportunity to meet the basic requirements for the three-year training program in Internal Medicine as defined by the ABIM while simultaneously earning a Master's Degree in either Medical Informatics or Clinical Investigation from the Department of Public Health Sciences in the University of Virginia School of Medicine. This track is specifically designed for residents who plan to pursue a career in academic medicine. It offers the opportunity to learn key research principles and to apply these to a clinical research project that will be completed during residency.

Interested residents apply in spring of the intern year with an application deadline of March 1.

Find more information about the Master's Degree Programs.
Find more information about the Clinical & Patient-Oriented Research Track. (Curriculum)
Check out information about Resident Research.

For further information about the Clinical Investigator Track, please feel free to write, call, or e-mail:

Gerald R. Donowitz, M.D.
Professor and Residency Program Director
Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health
P.O. Box 801343, UVa Health System
Charlottesville, VA 22908-1343
Tel: 434-924-1918

For Housestaff who have extensive research interests and academic subspecialty career goals, we offer a Research Pathway or "Fast Track". This pathway consists of two years of Internal Medicine training in the Categorical or Primary Care track, followed by one or more years of clinical training in a subspecialty, and at least three years of research training. Ongoing Continuity Clinic experience is required during the research years. Specific requirements may vary among the subspecialities. This pathway is appropriate for residents with a strong research background (usually with a Master's Degree or Ph.D.) who want to pursue their research interests more quickly than those in the traditional residency program. More information on the Internal Medicine Fellowship Programs can be found here.

In addition to the ERAS residency application, applicants should click on the link for the appropriate subspecialty fellowship program at the ERAS site and complete the application for that program. Applicants will be notified by the fellowship program if they are invited to interview for the Subspecialty Research Pathway. An additional interview day is required and provides an opportunity to meet with the faculty in the chosen subspecialty.

Trainees in the Subspecialty Research Pathway program are guaranteed support for their clinical training years and three years of research training. During their research years, trainees are encouraged to seek outside funding to facilitate their transition to independent researchers.

For further information about the Fast Track/Subspecialty Research Program, please feel free to write, call, or e-mail:

Gerald R. Donowitz, M.D.
Professor and Residency Program Director
Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health
P.O. Box 801343, UVa Health System
Charlottesville, VA 22908-1343
Tel: 434-924-1918