Curriculum

The Combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency Program was formed in 1989 in order to foster the education and training of residents in internal medicine and pediatrics. The objectives of the program are to train physicians qualified for careers that address the spectrum of illnesses of persons over a wide breadth of ages. This would include infants, children, adolescents and adults. Successful completion of this four-year program leads to board eligibility in both specialties. Finishing residents are qualified to pursue subspecialty training, academic medicine or primary care.

The combined program is comprised of 48 months that are equally divided between the departments of internal medicine and pediatrics. The program is designed to include four years of coherent, integrated care of patients of all ages. Educational experience within one specialty is designed to complement the other when applicable. Graduated advancement in training and care responsibilities occurs over the four-year period.

Residents complete eight or nine four-week blocks in each specialty at the corresponding responsibilities of the categorical resident years. That is, residents have the complementary responsibilities as categorical residents for 16-month blocks. During the first 16 months, the resident has eight months of R-1 or "intern responsibilities;" during subsequent 16-month blocks, the resident has responsibilities corresponding to R-2’s and R-3’s in the categorical program. Residents will switch between specialties on an every four-month basis. The educational components of both specialties will be described below.


Pediatrics

The goal of the pediatric program is to provide the trainee with the tools and the knowledge to provide excellent care as well as diagnosis of major and minor illnesses in infants and children. This is accomplished via a graduated advancement in responsibility for the care of infants and children over the three-year curriculum (24 months for medicine/pediatric residents). The Children’s Medical Center of the VCU Health System acts as the primary source of education. Combined residents are considered to be pediatric residents and are held to the same educational and service responsibilities as categorical residents.

Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Program

The following table represents the number of blocks per rotation for each resident level of training:

Curriculum review is conducted regularly. This is via the standing committee in pediatrics, the Residency Steering Committee. This committee, chaired by Dr. Suzanne Lavoie, meets on a monthly basis and serves as a review forum for the residents and faculty. Members include faculty and housestaff representatives from all years of residency including medicine/pediatrics residents.

Internal Medicine

The educational goals of the categorical program in internal medicine apply to the combined residents and include the following elements: education, clinical care and research.

The goals of the internal medicine component of the Med-Peds Program are to allow the combined residents to succeed in achieving the above goals over the shortened time period. The combined resident has the opportunity to participate in the majority of rotations available to the categorical resident.

The following table represents the number of blocks per rotation for each resident level of training:

Rotation	R-1	R-2	R-3
Inpatient Wards	2.5	2.5	3.0
Heme/Onc Wards	1.0	0.0	0.0
CCU	1.0	0.0	0.0
MRICU	1.0	0.0	1.0
Night Float	0.5	0.5	0.5
Ambulatory	1.0	1.5	0.5
Emergency Medicine	1.0	0.0	0.0
Inpatient Cardiology	0.0	1.0	0.0
Electives	0.0	2.5	3.0
Geriatrics	0.0	0.0	0.5
Palliative Care	0.0	0.0	0.5

Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Program

Periodic review of the residency curriculum occurs via two standing internal medicine committees, the education and the curriculum committees. The medicine/pediatrics residency program director is a member of both these committees. Housestaff representatives are included.

The Med/Peds Program Educational Committee meets at least once annually to review the Combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics curriculum in relation to any changes that may have occurred to the categorical curricula, and to evaluate the appropriateness of the current curriculum. Residents and faculty are included in this assessment.