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Thomas Hospital Internal Medicine Residency Schedule

PGY-1

  • 5-6 Blocks of Inpatient Wards
  • 2 Blocks of Night Float
  • 1 Block of Intensive Care Unit
  • 1 Block of each of Ambulatory Internal Medicine, 1 Block Cardiology, 1 Block Nephrology
  • 1-2 Blocks of Electives of choice

PGY-2

  • 4-5 Blocks of Inpatient Wards
  • 1-2 Blocks of Night Float
  • 1 Block of Intensive Care Unit
  • 1 Block each of Cardiology, Emergency Medicine, Gastroenterology, Geriatrics, Infectious Diseases, Nephrology
  • 1 Block of Elective of choice

PGY-3

  • 3 - 4 Blocks of Inpatient Wards
  • 0 - 1 Block of Intensive Care Unit
  • 1 Block Ambulatory Internal Medicine
  • 7 - 8 Blocks of Electives of choice

Available electives include: Addiction Medicine, Anesthesiology, Anti-Microbial Stewardship, Cardiology, Deep Dive, Dermatology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, General Surgery Peri-operative Care, Geriatrics, Hematology/Oncology, Hospitalist Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Interventional and Diagnostic Radiology, Medical Informatics, Nephrology, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Pain Management, Pulmonology, Research, Rheumatology, Rural Medicine, Sports Medicine, Vascular Surgery, Wound Care, and Women’s Health.

Clinical Training

Inpatient Medicine

Approximately 60% of residency training is dedicated to inpatient medicine. Daily Attending teaching rounds emphasize clinical reasoning, patient-centered care, and evidence-based management. Interns serve as the primary physicians for their patients while receiving close supervision from senior residents and faculty. Residents participate in multidisciplinary rounds and work closely with the healthcare team to deliver collaborative patient care, and develop comprehensive treatment and discharge plans. Residents also work with medical students from affiliated medical schools, creating opportunities to develop teaching and leadership skills. As residents progress through training, they assume greater responsibility for patient care, decision-making, and teaching.

Outpatient Medicine

Residents develop continuity-based primary care skills through the Thomas Hospital Internal Medicine Clinic, serving patients from Baldwin County and surrounding communities. Residents meet patients during their dedicated weekly half-day clinic. Additional ambulatory experiences include rotations through community subspecialty practices and Infirmary Health locations throughout the region, providing exposure to a broad range of patients, conditions, and practice settings.

Daily Conferences

Our noon conferences provide consistent opportunities to strengthen clinical knowledge, apply evidence-based medicine, and develop critical thinking skills. Sessions include resident-facilitated teaching, faculty-led didactics, board review, quality review, and presentations in collaboration with the UAB Health System. Interactive clinical cases emphasize clinical reasoning, evidence-based decision-making, and discussion of different approaches to patient management.

Journal Club

Journal Club focuses on evidence-based medicine through discussion of current medical literature. Residents critically evaluate articles from leading medical journals, exploring study design, methodology, statistics, and the clinical relevance of new findings. Along with faculty, residents question the evidence, challenge assumptions, and consider how new research can influence patient care. These sessions help residents develop the skills and confidence to interpret medical literature and make appropriate clinical decisions.

Pharmacology Education

Pharmacology sessions provide practical education on medication management, including drug interactions, medication reconciliation, dosing, pharmacogenetics, drug metabolism, antibiotic stewardship, and newer therapies.

Board Preparation

Board and licensing examination preparation is integrated throughout the curriculum. Residents receive individual subscriptions to MKSAP and UWorld and participate in dedicated review sessions for the American Board of Internal Medicine, USMLE Step 3, and COMLEX-USA Level 3 examinations.

Hands-On & Innovative Training

Residents complement traditional bedside medicine with hands-on training in procedures, simulation, and point-of-care technology.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound & Simulation

POCUS and simulation training occur throughout the year, allowing residents to develop procedural and clinical skills in a supervised environment. Training opportunities include:

  • Arthrocentesis
  • Arterial line placement
  • Central venous line placement
  • Lumbar puncture
  • Paracentesis
  • Point-of-care ultrasound
  • Thoracentesis

Residents also have access to SonoSim educational modules to further develop their ultrasound skills.

Innovation in Clinical Practice

Residents gain experience with technologies and systems that increasingly shape modern medicine, including:

  • Advanced Epic optimization
  • Clinical informatics
  • Telemedicine
  • Simulation-based training
  • Point-of-care ultrasound

Personalized Career Pathways

Beginning in PGY-2 or PGY-3, residents have the opportunity to personalize their education through dedicated career pathways.

The Primary Care Track is designed for residents interested in additional exposure to ambulatory medicine and the many areas that contribute to comprehensive primary care. Led by Dr. Elizabeth Wood, the track provides residents with experiences across outpatient medicine, community advocacy, preventive care, lifestyle medicine, and specialized ambulatory settings. The track gives residents the opportunity to explore different aspects of primary care while developing skills that can be applied across a wide range of outpatient practice settings.

The Hospitalist Track is designed for residents interested in additional exposure to inpatient medicine and the broad range of skills involved in hospital-based practice. Led by Dr. Wendell Erdman, the track provides additional experiences in clinical care, procedures, systems-based practice, quality improvement, and hospital medicine. The track allows residents to explore the many facets of hospital medicine while developing the clinical, procedural, and systems-based skills needed for a career as a hospitalist.

Primary Care Track

  • Addiction Medicine
  • Dermatology
  • Hospice & Palliative Care
  • Lifestyle Medicine
  • Otolaryngology
  • Psychiatry
  • Sports Medicine
  • Quality Improvement Research
  • Women's Health
  • Wound Care
  • Rural Outpatient Medicine
  • Outpatient Pain Management

Hospitalist Track

  • Anesthesiology
  • Clinical Informatics
  • Journal Club
  • Hospitalist Rotation
  • Hospital Quality
  • Interventional Radiology
  • Perioperative Medicine
  • Point-of-Care Ultrasound
  • Procedures
  • Systems-Based Practice
  • Quality Improvement Research

Research & Quality Improvement

Residents have opportunities to participate in quality improvement and research throughout training, developing skills in systems-based practice, clinical research, and improving patient care. Residents are encouraged and supported to present their work at regional and national conferences, providing opportunities to share their research and engage with the broader medical community.