Program Highlights
Internal Medicine at UCSD
Our national rankings in education, clinical care, and research:
- In "Best Graduate Schools 2010" from U.S. News & World Report, the UCSD School of Medicine ranks 15th in research and 26th in primary care.
- In research funding per faculty member, the UCSD School of Medicine is consistently one of the top two in the nation.
- In the U.S. News & World Report "Best Hospitals" list for 2009,UCSD Medical Center ranks high in four internal medicine subspecialties:
- Respiratory diseases (14th).
- Rheumatology (21st).
- Nephrology (43rd).
- Oncology (47th).
- The HIV/AIDS program (Division of Infectious Diseases and Owen Clinic) is ranked 8th in the nation in "Best Graduate Schools 2010." There is dedicated HIV ward service at the UCSD Medical Center hospital in Hillcrest as well as a multi-disciplinary HIV outpatient rotation.
- UCSD offers world-renowned clinical programs in pulmonary hypertension, thromboembolic diseases, pulmonary and GI interventions, cardiac electrophysiology, HIV, and stem-cell transplantation.
- The Gastrointestinal Endoscopy program of the Division of Gastroenterology is rated one of the top in the nation in the 2009 rankings from the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
- Hospitals and Health Networks has ranked the UCSD Medical Center in the top 100 "Most Wired" and the top 25 "Most Wireless" medical centers in the nation.
Internal medicine residency training takes place at three hospital locations, each with different models of healthcare delivery. The broad and culturally diverse patient mix includes urban poor, immigrants, veterans, and privately insured patients. More about the hospitals
The state-of-the-art Moores UCSD Cancer Center provides comprehensive cancer care. It is the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Southern California. More about the Cancer Center
The Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center is under construction on the UC San Diego Medical Center La Jolla campus and is expected to open in 2010. A new inpatient tower is in the design stages.
Training Environment
Program Director Elaine Muchmore and Associate Directors Brian Clay, Simerjot Jassal, and Lori Wan, as well as the administrative staff, are strong resident advocates.
Clinical training schedule:
- Every fifth night call on wards at UCSD Hillcrest Hospital and every fourth night call on wards at UCSD Thornton Hospital. At the VA Medical Center, call every eighth night for interns and no overnight call for residents.
- Every fourth night call in UCSD Hillcrest ICU and CCU; every third night call at VA ICU.
- Intern admission cap of 5 new patients per call night.
- Night float service does all weekday cross cover after 5 p.m. at the VA Medical Center and UCSD Hillcrest hospital.
- Resident night float service does all ward admissions after 2:00 a.m. at UCSD Hillcrest Hospital; a moonlighter does new admissions after midnight at the VA Medical Center, and after 2:00 a.m. at UCSD Thornton Hospital.
- Non-teach service at Thornton Hospital started November 2008.
- Resident day float assumes care for all post-call duties at UCSD Hillcrest hospital.
- 24-hour IVs, phlebotomy, RT, EKGs, ABGs.
- Computer physician order entry. Web-based call schedule, continuity schedules, conference schedules and sign-outs.
Education
Educational programs (i.e., Medical Grand Rounds and noon conferences) are available online or DVD. All GME Resident Core lectures are recorded and available through the UCSD OGME office. These will soon be available by streaming video.
Daily morning teaching conference, attending rounds and noon conference are conducted.
Attendings include hospitalists and subspecialty teaching attendings at the UCSD Hillcrest hospital.
Benefits
- Global Medicine elective rotation for PGY-2s and PGY-3s in Maputo, Moçambique.
- Four weeks of vacation per year.
- Residents are given the opportunity to perform a 2-month research block.
- There is 24-hour internet access at all hospitals, with MEDLINE, MDConsult® and UpToDate®, and electronic access to most major medical journals which can also be accessed at home. Home access to order entry and radiology for all hospitals.
- Big Sib Program and Mentoring Program for interns.
- Physician Well-Being Program.
Career Development
The UCSD program provides excellent primary care internal medicine training:
- Graduating house staff match in excellent fellowships in all subspecialty fields, many obtaining highly sought-after slots in Southern California and San Diego programs (UCSD fellowships are the only university-based fellowship programs in San Diego). More about graduate placement in fellowships
- Graduating house staff are offered rewarding jobs in the community and in academics.
- The ABIM board exam pass rate is 99% over the last five years.