Residency

The practice of Internal Medicine has evolved remarkably over the past few decades. Recently, leaders in academic medicine have called for the redesign of resident education, including the development of individualized career pathways as a way to reinvigorate interest in Internal Medicine. At Jefferson we have developed Personalized Career Pathways to allow residents to customize their training experience throughout their residency.

Disability Care Training Pathway

Dr. Michael Stillman oversees the Disability Pathway. This pathway was developed in an effort to give select residents knowledge of and expertise in the care of individuals with a variety of disabilities. Narrow literature shows that small minorities of medical students and residents receive disability-specific education. Moreover, in a study conducted by SKMC faculty members in 2019, very few internal medicine and family medicine residents at programs across the Northeast felt comfortable co-managing common secondary conditions associated with disabilities or in identifying their patients' needs for home and community-based therapies and services. In response to this educational dearth, residents in this first-of-its-kind concentration will rotate through inpatient rehabilitation services, through a variety of outpatient clinics in which individuals with intellectual and developmental, neurological, and mobility disabilities seek care, and with a Philadelphia-based home care organization, learning about transitions of care and community-based services. They will also complete an online asynchronous certificate program in life care planning, preparing them to anticipate the care needs of individuals with disabilities across their entire lives. We expect that residents who complete this concentration will be positioned to lead educational and quality improvement efforts in their future workplaces.

Health Systems Science Distinction Pathway

Dr. Evan Nardone is the Director of the Health Systems Science (HSS) Distinction Pathway. This specialized pathway was formed with the goals of preparing a cohort of clinicians to lead innovative change within complex health systems, advancing health outcomes for vulnerable patient populations, and fostering career development within the domains of health systems science (health care delivery, health equity, value-based care, population/public health, health advocacy, health policy, and economics, clinical informatics, quality improvement, and patient safety). Requirements of the pathway include attending 70% of scheduled HSS didactics, completing 90% of scheduled pre-didactic modules, including HSS concepts in personal clinical teaching conferences to be reviewed for feedback, rotating on one HSS-designated elective, and completing a longitudinal clinical HSS project. Successful participation provides participants with various scholarship opportunities, directed educational experiences, 1:1 HSS coaching/mentorship with a matched faculty member, and skills to lead as change agents within micro and macro health systems.

Hospital Pathway Program

Dr. Timothy Kuchera oversees the direction of a formal hospital medicine pathway. The Hospital Medicine Career Pathway is intended to provide practical experience and didactic instruction relevant to a career in hospital medicine. Residents in the program participate in elective rotations, receive instruction in relevant nonclinical topics, and engage in a project such as a quality and safety initiative. They will have access to career planning resources and personalized guidance. By fulfilling the requirements of the pathway, participants will be able to: experience multiple practice environments within hospital medicine; develop the knowledge and skills necessary to be an excellent hospitalist; build non-clinical experience that will enhance their understanding of hospital medicine and prepare them to take advantage of leadership opportunities; and find a job in hospital medicine. Requirements include 12 weeks of core clinical experiences, 12 weeks of clinical electives (including 6 weeks of hospital medicine-specific electives), a formal or informal project, and a non-clinical curriculum.  

Medical Education & Leadership

The future of academic medicine relies on strong teachers and leaders. The Medical Education pathway is intended to provide didactics on educational theory coupled with hands-on experience and formative feedback necessary to train future educators in Internal Medicine. Residents in the program will participate in a multitude of educational experiences, complete the medical education elective, and work closely with a mentor in Medical Education to develop their skills. Residents who complete the pathway will graduate from Jefferson Internal Medicine Residency with a Distinction in Education.

Women’s Health Pathway

Dr. Shailaja Nair serves as the Director, and Dr. Elizabeth Boyle as the Associate Director for the Women’s Health Residency Pathway. This pathway is designed to educate a select group of interns and residents each year in providing comprehensive care for women. Our Women's Health faculty employs a multidisciplinary approach to emphasize sex and gender differences in disease presentation. The program focuses on reproductive and nonreproductive health, wellness, prevention, and disease management. Some of the highlights of this program include the option to select Jefferson Women’s Primary Care as a primary clinic site, monthly multidisciplinary women’s health lecture series, biannual Women’s Health Journal Club, a two-week elective block with Obstetrics & Gynecology, Urology, Urogynecology, and the Breast Center, and a two-week ambulatory block rotation with various Women’s Health specialists. Jefferson faculty will ensure that our residents are trained to provide optimal care for female patients while stressing Evidence-Based Medicine using an integrated and multidisciplinary approach.

Quality Improvement & Patient Safety

Internal Medicine Residents at Jefferson learn the fundamentals of patient safety and quality improvement during their three years of training. This includes gaining an understanding of medical errors, learning how to complete a systems-based improvement project, and creating a culture of safety. Not only is training in Quality and Safety a requirement from the ACGME, but internal medicine residents also participate in quality improvement projects that improve patient care and result in nationally publicized work. Residents have the opportunity to serve as leaders for these projects and to serve on the Housestaff Patient Safety and Quality Council, which works on quality improvement projects as part of an interdepartmental team. In addition, residents can gain further training through the Jefferson College of Population Health (JCPH) which offers an online Master of Science in Healthcare Quality & Safety, an option to complete a Graduate Certificate or a two-year fellowship in Health Economics & Outcomes Research. Interested residents can visit Jefferson College of Population Health for more information.

Masters in Clinical Investigation

This pathway is available for those residents interested in a career involving clinical or translational research. Thomas Jefferson University offers a Masters in Human Investigation for clinicians who are interested in a career in human investigation or conducting clinical trials. This program requires a multi-year commitment and applicants should make their interest known in the second year of training, typically after acceptance into a fellowship program. Candidates participate in a conference and lecture series concurrent with their residency and fellowship training schedule and are required to finish a clinical research project to receive this degree. Candidates in this program are from the broad spectrum of medical disciplines and have completed projects from basic molecular bench research to exclusively clinical projects. For additional information please visit Jefferson College of Life Sciences.