All of our residency classes stay together on the same discipline for the first two years of training. All residents start together in internal medicine and rotate together on a 4-5-4 schedule for the first two years of residency.

• PGY1 and PGY2 -
  • Intern year - 4 blocks IM, 5 blocks Peds, 4 blocks IM
  • Second year - 4 blocks Peds, 5 blocks IM, 4 blocks Peds)
• PGY3 and PGY4 - While a general 4-5-4 structure exists, the schedule is flexible. Residents move flexibly between IM and Peds based on their learning and curricular preferences.

Year after year our residents tell us how amazing it is to rotate together between IM and Peds those first two years. Why?

• It allows each class to forge close bonds early in residency because you are always on the same side together. Early bonding = friends for life!

• It makes switches easier and less stressful because you are always with your Med-Peds friends, especially with the first switch from IM to Peds.

We believe that having every class stay together during those critical first two years is an important part of our residents’ experience.

During the first two years of residency we switch on a 4-5-4 block schedule. We refer to this as the “Goldie Locks” approach because 4-5 block switches are "not too long, and not too short". We have found this frequency of switching in the first two years allows for:

• Development of skill, autonomy, and confidence after 4-5 blocks (hard to achieve in a combined specialty!) where you can relax a bit by the final block.
• Optimal learning the first two years of residency for you stay at the steep part of your learning curve and avoid becoming bored or overwhelmed.
• Seasonal variation in both specialties – bronchiolitis, flu, tick-borne illnesses - all vary widely by season. 4-5-4 allows you to have two winters and two summers in both IM and peds.
• Evening out of your conference series attendance in internal medicine and pediatrics, both of which have a series of early conferences for the incoming residents.

Our Med-Peds residents have 2-week clinic blocks during which they receive world class ambulatory training. During these clinic blocks, our residents have two to four half days of continuity clinic over a week (depending upon level of resident), other clinical experiences related to ambulatory medicine, one half-day for administrative time, and one wellness half-day over a two-week period.

In addition to multiple clinic blocks and ambulatory experiences, there are 12 blocks of elective time during our residency. Med-Peds residents have equitable access to all IM and Peds electives, a selection of over 100 different experiences across our academic health center. We also have Med-Peds electives and designer electives that can be co-constructed with our program leadership. Our goal is to provide you with the optimal experiences to meet your learning needs.

Our residents are never supervised by categorical residents at the same PGY during residency. We are able to structure the schedule so that rotations early in the second year are senior-only rotations. Our residents are team leading like their categorical peers by the middle part of their second year. This parity is due to the front loaded design of our curriculum, which keeps you up to speed with the categorical residents.