Internal Medicine Residency Program
Affiliated with Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Special Features of Our Program:

Affiliations

GBMC is located in a rich environment of world class academic institutions.  Our formal affiliation is with Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and this affiliation has been recently expanded, with the new direction of cardiovascular services by Johns Hopkins at GBMC.  Our PGY2 residents all rotate through neurology at Johns Hopkins, and many others do research and clinical electives with faculty there.  Most of the faculty and specialists have academic appointments as well.  Each year, Johns Hopkins medical students rotate through our department for various elective medical rotations.  Other affiliations which our residents take advantage of include the University of Maryland, Kaiser Permanente, as well as numerous private physicians and specialists.  The close proximity of such sophisticated medical resources allows the residents to experience an intimate community setting while gaining competitive skills usually only acquired in a larger institution. 

Ambulatory Experiences

In addition to a 1/2 day of weekly continuity practice, where the physician learns the essentials of interviewing, physical examination, medical management, preventive care and medical documentation and billing, there are additional block rotations where the internal medicine resident has an opportunity to enhance his/her skills in ambulatory medicine.

In the ambulatory practice, the resident is regarded as a full practice partner in a diverse and busy practice. This gives the resident a unique opportunity to prepare rigorously for the clinical and managerial aspects of outpatient medicine.

During the PGY-1 year, the primary care resident is introduced to geriatric medicine and interfaces with other health care systems such as Home Health Care, Subacute Care, Wound Care and Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation. A two-week Emergency Room block includes experiences with patients who are critically ill, as well as acute ailments from rashes to upper respiratory infections.

In the PGY-2 year, the resident participates in a one month ambulatory rotation at various outpatient centers.  The resident is encouraged to take part in a wide variety of outpatient electives, including ophthalmology, cardiology, gastroenterology and pulmonology.

In the PGY-3 year, the resident has a block rotation in Managed Care medicine, which prepares him/her to function in an environment common to the practicing primary care physician today. The rotation consists of primary care internal medicine and dermatology and office orthopedics. 

Ancillary Services                      

Comprehensive, fully-staffed, ancillary support services include 24-hour phlebotomy and IV line placement teams, respiratory therapy, EKG and portable x-ray.

Business of Medicine Curriculum

Although a majority of our graduates go on to fellowship, we do not lose sight of the fact that they all will eventually have a practice of their own.  Therefore, we augment our medicine curriculum with subjects that pertain to the business side of medicine: contract negotiation, quality assurance, coding and efficiency, and administration of a busy practice.  After quality assurance techniques are introduced, the residents are encouraged to use them to devise and initiate improvements to the residency and hospital systems.  All senior residents participate in a month long independent study dedicated to exploring the various roles that physicians are often asked to assume, the business of medicine, and the hospital quality improvement system.

Resident/Faculty Ratio

Resident to Faculty ratio is 5:1. Each resident is paired with a faculty member who serves as an advisor and mentor throughout the program. Advisors meet with their advisees formally twice a year and informally as requested for advice or support.  Our core internal medicine faculty are commited to the education of our residents.

Night Float System

At the PGY-2 level and above, the night float system eliminates in-hospital call during the week while on floor or unit rotations. This ensures that the Residents have enough time to read and prepare for patient care and teaching. 

Patient Population

While some urban teaching hospitals treat a narrow range of disorders, our residents encounter and learn from patients whose illnesses represent the broad range of disorders seen in the community. Many of these patients present in the outpatient setting. Such broad experience provides the residents with the necessary competence for a successful clinical career, regardless of the practice setting.