Internal Medicine Residency Curriculum
Ambulatory Curriculum
Welcome to the Internal Medicine Ambulatory (+2) Week! During this part of our "4+2" system, our residents are offered diverse experience in both primary care and subspecialty medicine fields in a setting that allows for regular continuity while not conflicting with inpatient responsibilities. Loyola MacNeal provides diverse experiences through a range of ambulatory rotations, ensuring our residents develop into strong internists. These rotations offer comprehensive training in outpatient care, which serves as a critical foundation for well-rounded internal medicine practice. By working in various clinical settings, our residents gain the skills needed to excel in managing a broad spectrum of patient conditions.
- Addiction Medicine
- Cardiology
- Community Medicine
- General Medicine
- Geriatrics
- Geriatrics for Spanish Speakers
- Hematology and Oncology
- Medical Spanish
- Metabolic and Obesity Medicine
- Musculoskeletal Medicine
- Nephrology
- Otolaryngology
- Palliative Medicine & Hospice Care
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Pulmonology
- Practice Management
- Primary Care for Spanish Speakers
- Research
- Sports Medicine
- Women's Health
Ambulatory Week Sample Schedule – MSK
Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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PMR Rounds + PT/OT
7am-12 pm
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Sports Medicine 9am-12pm
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MedTalks 8am-12pm
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ABIM/ Research 9am – 12pm
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Continuity Clinic
1pm-5pm
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Rheumatology clinic
1pm-5pm
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Continuity Clinic
1pm-5pm
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Continuity Clinic
1pm-5pm
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Sports Medicine
1pm - 5 pm
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Continuity Clinic
1pm-5pm
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Metabolic and Obesity Medicine
Residents are immersed in the holistic approach to caring for patients with obesity. Throughout the rotation residents focus on the needs of patients with obesity and metabolic disease through various specialties.
Goals:
a. Awareness of weight bias
b. Common contributors to obesity
c. Complications and comorbidities of obesity
d. Basic nutrition education/ strategies for treatment of obesity
e. Physical activity guidelines
f. Behavioral management interventions for obesity
g. Pharmacologic treatment of obesity
h. Awareness of shared-decision making and realistic expectations for gradual change
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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AM
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Dr. Cohn
Surgery
9-12p
OR
Dr. Laura Wool
Psychology
10a – 12pm
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Dr. Lau
Surgery
9-12p
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MedTalks
8am-12pm
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Obesity Medicine Clinic
8-12pm
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Continuity Clinic
8-12p
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PM
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Obesity Medicine Clinic
1-5p
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Continuity Clinic
1-5p
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Nutrition
Burr Ridge
1-5pm
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Continuity Clinic
1-5p
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Continuity Clinic
1-5p
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Inpatient Service Rotations
- Core inpatient rotations for our residents are all based at Loyola MacNeal Hospital.
- These include:
- Emergency Medicine for interns
- Inpatient General Medicine Service for all residents
- Intensive Care Unit for all residents
Emergency Medicine
All PGY-1 residents rotate through the emergency room for a two-to-four-week rotation. This rotation provides an excellent opportunity for residents to assess and triage patients with rapid development of differential diagnoses and patient management.
Intensive Care Unit
Residents receive invaluable training under the mentorship of our experienced pulmonary critical care physicians in the ICU, ensuring hands-on learning from the best in the field. We have no 24-hour call system.
The ICU team is composed of:
- One on call senior Resident
- One Non call Senior
- One Consult Senior
- 3-4 rounding interns
The Seniors are on call every other day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. We have no 24-hour call day. Sign out occurs at 5 pm on weekdays and 3 pm on weekends. The consult senior assists the on-call senior if the census of the team is 13 or more after 3 pm on weekends and 5 pm on weekdays.
The average number of admissions per team per 12-hour call day is 8-10.
- The day begins with a sign-out from the night team at 6:45 AM, followed by pre-rounds to prepare for the day's activities. Residents then meet with the attending physician to review cases and plan care.
General Medical Ward Service
This is an inpatient medical service. We have four ward teams, each with one supervising attending, a senior resident and two interns. Each team also includes medical students.
Each team admits an average of eight to ten patients per 12-hour call day. Each intern typically has five new admissions. The post call team does not care for any new patients.
Call teams manage admissions from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM and are on call every fourth day from 7am to 7pm. We have no 24-hour call days. On weekdays, the call team receives signout from non-call teams at 5:00 PM and handles cross-covering duties until 7:00 PM. On weekends, the call team receives signout from other teams at 3:00 PM.
Night Float Experience
- PGY-1 Residents: During their ICU blocks, PGY-1 residents do four to five night shifts. They work under the supervision of a PGY-2 or PGY-3 resident and an ICU hospitalist, gaining essential overnight experience in critical care.
- PGY-2 and PGY-3 Residents: Senior residents manage admissions to general medicine wards during their night float shifts, with a maximum of eight patients per night. They handle a variety of overnight cross-coverage issues under the guidance of program faculty.
- Support Structure: PGY-2 residents are required to staff overnight admissions with faculty for the first 6 months of their PGY-2 year. Faculty are available throughout the night to assist with any patient care concerns, ensuring a robust support system.
- Shift Hours: Night float shifts run from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM, providing a comprehensive overnight training experience.
Inpatient Consults
Loyola MacNeal offers robust elective experiences both at MacNeal and Loyola Medical Center. These electives provide residents the opportunity to work with specialized physicians in a community setting while also gaining exposure to advanced tertiary care at Loyola’s main campus. This combination allows our residents to build a strong foundation in general practice while deepening their expertise in specialty care.
Inpatient Elective Rotations offered at MacNeal
- Cardiology
- Endocrinology
- Gastroenterology
- Infectious Disease
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- Palliative Care
- Pulmonary and Critical Care
Inpatient elective rotations daily schedule: Your daily schedule begins between 8 and 9 AM and ends at 4 to 5 PM Monday through Friday. Residents are expected to see consults on their own to develop history and physical exam skills, clinical reasoning and differential diagnoses. Residents attend noon conferences while on these rotations.
Inpatient Elective Rotations at Loyola Medical Center
We are proud to be a community-based program separate from Loyola’s main campus, and our residents benefit from the unique opportunity to rotate through electives at the main Loyola Medical Center. Residents gain additional experience in specialized patient care and exposure to complex pathophysiology.
For example, on cardiology rotations at Loyola, residents encounter advanced cardiovascular cases and work alongside experts in the field, enhancing their understanding of routine and complex cardiac conditions. This blend of community-based training with tertiary care exposure equips our residents with a well-rounded clinical skill set.
- Cardiology
- Endocrinology
- Gastroenterology
- Hematology-Oncology
- Infectious disease
- Nephrology
- Rheumatology