Conferences and Education Resources

• Our comprehensive formal education program provides a specific, organized, annual curriculum that ensures that our different formal conference activities are fully coordinated with minimal duplication and maximum coverage of over 300 annual core topics in internal medicine. In an average week, there are 10 resident conferences.
• The Noon Specialty Conference Series is a lecture and case-based series covering 80 key topics from our curriculum (2 per week).
• Medicine Grand Rounds is a formal sequential discussion of a patient case that focuses particularly on the way experts solve clinical problems (1 per week).
• Patient Case Conference is an in-depth discussion of a Residents' Service patient that covers an additional 150 topics in our curriculum (4 per week). A Mortality/Morbidity conference and an Autopsy conference are part of this curriculum.
• Bedside Diagnosis Conference covers interviewing, physical examination and approach to medical diagnosis. These presentations use advanced presentation technology with audio and video support (1 per week).
• Journal Club reviews current medical literature and presents a formal curriculum covering critical appraisal of clinical literature, use of diagnostic data, and making decisions under uncertainty (1 per week).
• G3 Seminar covers an important group of socioeconomic topics to give residents nearing completion of the program the skills and knowledge needed to participate in the health care system (1 per month).
• Outpatient Clinic Tutorials is a series of 48 topics, with a particular focus on outpatient procedural skills that is presented at the beginning of clinic sessions. (4 topics per month).
• A year-long professionalism curriculum for the G1 resident group.
• An average G1 is able to attend at least two-thirds of all conference activities. In addition, all of the major conference presentations are available on-line for viewing by residents who were unable to attend the conference or who wish to review the topic again.

Computerized White-Board Technology in our Conferences

Promethean ActivStudio computerized white board technology is used during attending rounds and most of the other regular resident conferences. This allows for multimedia conferences and adds the ability to use our audience feedback system during case presentations. This has improved our conferences tremendously and allows for a dynamic interaction between the presenter and residents that improves learning.

Library Resources

The hospital's Medical Library offers an outstanding range of services. Extensive Web-based resources also are available for all residents and faculty directly through the electronic medical record. Residents have free and unlimited access to photocopying both in the Medical Education office and in the main library.

Evaluation, Feedback and Communication

Residents are evaluated by their peers, students, Chief Residents and faculty. They also are formally evaluated in clinical skill areas including bedside medicine knowledge and technique, ECG interpretation, procedural skills, and critical appraisal knowledge. All G2s take the in-training exam offered by the ACP. Residents discuss their performance at private semiannual meetings with the Program Director. Each resident also has a faculty advisor who helps with resident feedback and evaluation as well as the resident's scholarly project. A Residency Council (joint resident and faculty participation) helps deal with any performance issues of residents or faculty and with the overall design and execution of the program. This committee also helps insure that residency policies meet ABIM requirements and are fairly enforced.