Program Description
Why Our Program?
The UTRGV DHR Internal Medicine Residency Program strives to provide comprehensive medical care and seeks to promote the development of academic medicine within the community we serve. Our mission is to empower our residents to cultivate a foundation of evidence based medical knowledge and become the healthcare scholars, innovators, and leaders of tomorrow.
The internal medicine residents will also benefit from near-peer educator opportunities with medical students at the UTRGV School of Medicine.
Our clinical site, DHR, is also committed to serving our community and advancing the education and research of our graduate medical students including fellows. In 2019, our department also welcomed the initiation of 3 fellowships: cardiovascular disease, endocrinology, gastroenterology, and hospice and palliative medicine.
In 2020, South Texas was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and we were proud of our residents who provided invaluable care to our community. They showed true compassion and strength in these times.
Block Schedule
Rotations are based on a 4+1 model, with 4 weeks of a block and 1 week of continuity clinic.
Sample PGY-1 Resident Block Schedule:
| July | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wards 1 | Endocrinology | Wards B | Gastroenterology | Wards 2 | Night Float/Pulm |
| Jan. | Feb. | March | April | May | June |
| ICU 1 | Nephrology | Wards 3 | Cardiology | ICU 2 | Elective |
Rotation Goals
Community Medicine
Our residents are primary care physicians in our continuity clinic at DHR Internal Medicine Center, building their panel over all three years. Additional sites at the outpatient setting includes the Hope Family Health center, a non-profit clinic serving some of the individuals with the highest poverty levels in the state, during the first year of residency. They develop and refine the necessary knowledge base, medical interviewing, examination skills, procedural skills, and clinical acumen to diagnose and manage acute, chronic and preventive health needs.
Inpatient Medicine (Wards Teams A-C)
Residents will develop and refine the necessary knowledge base, medical interviewing skills, and clinical acumen to diagnose and manage patients requiring admission to an inpatient medicine service. Teams are on call every fourth day during which residents practice hospitalists skills in communication with the ER, bedboard and subspecialties.
Critical Care
Residents will develop and refine the necessary knowledge base, medical interviewing skills, and clinical acumen to diagnose and manage patients with conditions that fall within the scope of a board-certified internal medicine physician referred for admission or transfer to a medical intensive care unit.
Quality Improvement/Patient Safety
Quality improvement/patient safety initiatives are a continuous part of residency. Residents will have dedicated time during their continuity clinic week to design and implement a group QI project each academic year with a faculty mentor.
Research
Residents will develop a project for scholarly activity. They will meet with faculty to discuss their research goals for residency. For some, this rotation will be used to form the basis of a longitudinal research endeavor that spans their residency while other residents with a primarily clinical focus may choose a more limited project such as presenting a case report at a conference. Rotations are available each year.
Core Rotations
Residents have core rotation experiences in the following: neurology, infectious disease, endocrinology, gastroenterology, nephrology, rheumatology, hematology/oncology, cardiology, hospital medicine. For electives, experiences include but are not limited to: orthopedic sports medicine, dermatology, radiology, procedures, POCUS, research, and office ophthalmology.