Internal Medicine / Pediatrics Combined Residency Program

The Internal Medicine and Pediatrics program at the University of South Alabama is a small, university based program that focuses on the development of physicians not only as excellent clinicians but altruistic providers as well.  Throughout the four years of training, we help residents reach their career goals by providing engaging education activities, diverse patient experiences, and one on one mentoring.

Residents in our program complete 24 total months of Pediatrics and 24 total months of Internal Medicine alternating between University Hospital and Children’s and Women’s Hospital.  Residents rotate in 4 week blocks throughout the year and switch between hospitals every 3-4 blocks allowing scheduling flexibility and additional experiences.  

Med-Peds residents participate in the clinics of both categorical programs. Med-Peds residents have clinic every week on Tuesday afternoons.  Weeks alternate between Internal Medicine and Pediatrics clinic.  This assignment will be consistent throughout the entire 4 years of residency.

We have a capacity of 9 residents in the program and offer 2 positions most years. 

 

 

 

 

 

Mission

The mission of the University of South Alabama (USA) Internal Medicine/Pediatrics program is to train residents in the knowledge, skills, and attributes to provide effective, efficient, and compassionate care to the communities they serve as both patient-centered primary physicians and community leaders across the age span. We seek to provide a strong foundation in both general internal medicine and in general pediatrics to allow our graduates to practice in any clinical setting or career choice with a focus on primary care. This aligns with our sponsoring institution's mission statement: We help people lead longer, better lives.

Aims

By the end of the residency program the resident will 

• Acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to provide competent and cost effective care for patients across the lifespan.
• Acquire the technical skills to safely perform procedures as expected by the ABIM and ABP.
• Manage both routine and complex patient illnesses across the lifespan in inter-professional teams.
• Provide preventive health maintenance in both routine and complex patients across the lifespan in inter-professional teams
• Maintain effective relationships with patients, families, and the inter-professional healthcare team
• Provide compassionate and culturally responsive care regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, or religious preferences.
• Advocate for patients, their families, and cohorts of patients at a local, regional, or national level.
• Provide timely and effective written and verbal communication with patients, peers, parents, caregivers, and the inter-professional team across a variety of clinical settings.
• Acquire the skills to be a lifelong learner by identifying practice gaps and utilizing evidence based resources to meet their individual needs.

For residents interested in pursuing post-residency training, the Internal Medicine Department has three 3-year fellowship programs available in the following subspecialties:

• Cardiology
• Gastroenterology
• Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care

At this time, there are no fellowship programs available in the Department of Pediatrics.

The Med-Peds Residency educational program includes structured combination of clinical and elective rotations as well as internal medicine, pediatrics, and interdepartmental conferences.

Clinical Rotations

Rotations by Program Level

Below is the curriculum that Med-Peds residents complete during the training program The curriculum meets all requirements set forth by the ACGME for Combined Internal Medicine-Pediatric residency programs.
 

	PGY 1	PGY 2	PGY 3	PGY 4
Block 1	Peds Wards	Peds Wards	Peds Ambulatory	NICU
Block 2	Peds Clinic	Subspecialty	Subspecialty	ICE
Block 3	Adolescent	PICU	Peds Wards	Peds Wards
Block 4	IM Wards	IM Wards	Float/Ambulatory	IM Wards
Block 5	IM ID	Subspecialty	Subspecialty	IM Ambulatory
Block 6	ICU	IM Wards	IM Wards	MICU
Block 7	Newborn	Subspecialty	Elective	ICE
Block 8	Peds Wards	Peds Wards	Peds Wards	NICU
Block 9	Peds ER	Development- Behavioral Peds	NICU	ICS
Block 10	IM Wards	Elective	ICE	Peds ER
Block 11	IM ER	IM Wards	MICU	Subspecialty
Block 12	Cardiology	Elective	Elective	Elective
Block 13	Med Peds Ambulatory	Med Peds Ambulatory	Elective	Elective

Med-Peds Conferences

All Med-Peds residents attend the Med-Peds Conference the first Friday of each block, which provides a great way to connect with other Med-Peds residents who you may not see regularly. The yearly conference schedule includes didactics, ethics discussions, simulation, and wellness topics focused on Internal Medicine & Pediatrics specific topics.  

The 2019-2020 conference schedule is shown below:

• July 5: Cerner Tips & Tricks
• August 9: Diabetes Panel Management Introduction
• September 6: Sim lab - Procedure Practice
• October 4: Dr. Binata Mukherjee Director, Healthcare Leadership Initiatives - Leadership in Medicine
• November 1: Interview Lunch/Wellness Day
• December 6: Dr. Tim Gilbert, Assistant Dean for Accreditation and Planning - Effective Feedback 
• January 17: Wellness activity, mini Z quiz
• February 7: Dr. Rusty Davis, PGY 2 - AAP Maintenance IV Fluids
• March 6: Griffin Gibson - Anxiety in Children & Adolescents
• April 3: Dr. Preston Sonnier Department of GI - IBD
• May 1: Dr. Regina McPherson, PGY 4 - COPD GOLD Guidelines
• June 5: End of the year lunch with program discussion

Internal Medicine Conferences

While on Internal Medicine rotations, the following conferences are provided:

• Noon report with the Chairman weekly
• Academic half day weekly
• Grand Rounds weekly
• Journal Club every six weeks
• Morbidity and Mortality Conference every six weeks
• Jeopardy with the Chief Resident every six weeks
• Tumor Board every six weeks
• Ambulatory half day weekly (for residents on ambulatory block only)
• Other subspecialty conferences offered weekly/monthly

Pediatrics Conferences

While on Pediatrics rotations, the following conferences are provided:

• Morning Report
• Grand Rounds
• Pediatric Case Conference
• Residency Conference
• Subspecialty Conference
• Ambulatory Half Day while on ambulatory blocks

We accept applications only via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) from the Association of American Medical Colleges. All positions are filled through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP). We are pleased to accept applications from graduates of US medical schools, and applicants are requested to submit at least 3 letters of recommendation through ERAS.

Interviews are coordinated through the Med/Peds Residency Program coordinator.

We are happy to provide lodging for applicants who interview. On most interview days, we will arrange a dinner the night before the interview for applicants who have arrived in town in time.

Med/Peds interviews are one full day.  On a typical interview day, an applicant will attend Internal Medicine Morning Report at 8:00 a.m., followed by interviews with several USA Department of Internal Medicine faculty. After touring the USA Medical Center and USA Department of Internal Medicine ambulatory clinics, applicants will usually have lunch with residents from the Med/Peds and Pediatric  Residency Programs. After lunch, there will be a tour of the USA Children's & Women's Hospital and interviews with USA Department of Pediatrics faculty. The interview day usually is finished by 5:00 p.m.

USA Combined Internal Medicine / Pediatrics Residency NRMP Program Number

Combined Medicine/Pediatrics: 1852700C0

Look for us on the free NRMP Prism℠ app on the Apple App Store and Google Play. For more information, contact Ms. Marley Harris, Med/Peds Residency Program coordinator, at (251) 415-1087.

Thank you for your interest in our Internal Medicine and Pediatrics training program. The following is a list of Frequently Asked Questions, which covers the mandatory criteria for our program. All Intern appointments are made in accordance with the rules of the NRMP. For further instruction, please review the MyERAS Documents page in the ERAS FAQ section.

General Questions

How can I apply to your program?

You must apply through ERAS.

Do you participate in the National Residency Matching Program?

Yes.

How many positions do you have available through the match?

We offer at least 2 positions each year.

How many letters of recommendation must I have?

You must have at least three (3) recommendation letters. Note: ERAS allows a maximum of four (4) LoRs to be assigned to a program.

What are your USMLE score requirements?

Applicants must pass USMLE Step 1 on the first attempt. Most of our applicants have USMLE step 1 and step 2 scores of 220 or higher. However, we do not specifically exclude applicants based on the USMLE score as we carefully consider the entire application and encourage all interested students to submit applications to our residency programs. USMLE step 3 is not required to apply.

What are your COMLEX score requirements?

They are the same as the USMLE score requirements. Applicants must pass COMLEX step 1 and step 2 on the first attempt. Most of our applicants have COMPLEX step 1 and step 2 scores of 500 or higher. However, we do not specifically exclude applicants based on the COMPLEX score as we carefully consider the entire application and encourage all interested students to submit applications to our residency programs. COMPLEX step 3 is not required to apply.

How does continuity clinic work? 

• We have separate Internal Medicine and Pediatrics clinics. 
• Residents have one half day of clinic every week and alternate between Internal Medicine and Pediatrics clinics. This is  decreased to 2 clinics a block for inpatient rotations. There is no clinic on ICU or ED blocks. 
• During first and second year, there is a combined Internal Medicine & Pediatrics ambulatory block (2 weeks of each).  During third and fourth year, there is 1 full block of both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics ambulatory clinic. 
• While on Internal Medicine ambulatory block, there is an opportunity to rotate through different subspecialty clinics  along with routine continuity clinic. 

What do our residents do after graduation?

In the past 5 years: 

• 4 Hospitalists 
• 7 Outpatient Primary Care
• 1 Urgent Care
• 1 Allergy-Immunology Fellowship
• 1 Geriatrics Fellowship
• 2 Internal Medicine Chiefs

What is the board pass rate?

Over the past 4 years, the pass rate for Med/Peds residents for both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics boards is 100 percent for first-time test takers.

Program Director: Grace Hundley, MD - ohundley@health.southalabama.edu
Program Coordinator: Marley Harris - mjharris@health.southalabama.edu
Address: 1700 Center St, Mobile, AL 36604
Phone: (251) 415-8586 • Fax: (251) 415-1387