Internal Medicine Residency

UPMC Montefiore/Presbyterian Internal Medicine Residency Program
UPMC Montefiore Hospital, N-715,
200 Lothrop Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Phone: 412-692-4942
Fax: 412-692-4944

UPMC Shadyside Internal Medicine Residency Program
UPMC Shadyside Hospital
5230 Centre Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Phone: 412-623-2465
Fax: 412-623-3592
IM@msx.upmc.edu
TY@msx.upmc.edu

The Innovative Curriculum: Conferences

Core Medical Conference (CMC) Series

The Core Medical Conference (CMC) Series covers many topics and runs over the course of the entire academic year. The first part, called the Acute Management Series, is a series of lectures given by faculty during the first 2 months of each academic year. Topics are practical ones that housestaff find most useful on a day-to-day basis on the wards. Sample topics include arterial blood gas interpretation, management of common arrhythmias, approach to the patient in shock, diagnosis and management of seizures, and oncologic emergencies. The second part, called the Core Conference Series, takes place over the remaining 10 months of the academic year and covers topics in the various specialties of internal medicine as well as in several non–internal medicine fields with which an internist should be familiar. Among the specialties covered in the series are cardiology, endocrinology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, dermatology, ophthalmology, and transplant medicine. These lectures are delivered by faculty specialists from the Department of Medicine and from other departments and fields.

Interspersed within the CMC Series are Radiology Rounds, Quality Improvement Conference (formerly Morbidity and Mortality Conference), and several other smaller lecture series that cover additional topics. During the fall, winter, and spring months, one day each week of this conference series is reserved for senior presentations, during which one of our program's third-year residents presents an evidence-based medicine literature review of a topic of the presenter's choice.

All CMC Series lectures are about 1 hour in length and take place daily at noon. They are fully catered, with food paid for by the Department of Medicine. Most of the lectures are in computerized slide show format and are posted on the hospital's local area network for quick access and review by the housestaff.

Resident Report

Residents gather every day for Resident Report, a popular conference led by the chief medical resident and a member of the medical faculty. Cases focusing on diagnostic and management decisions for inpatients from the medical wards are presented. The conference is another of the multiple venues in our program in which the concepts of evidence-based medicine are emphasized and reviewed. As such, residents are encouraged to search and present the medical literature that they used to help manage their patients. Recently, Resident Report itself became the subject of a study evaluating how and what informational sources residents use to make their medical decisions. Medical librarians from the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Library System attend all sessions of the Resident Report held at UPMC Montefiore and keep a blog of topics discussed, with supporting evidence of the discussion.

Intern Report

One day a week, the interns from the inpatient floors meet to present cases at Intern Report, a conference similar to Resident Report. The residency program director and chair of the Department of Medicine attend each meeting to share their medical knowledge, discuss important issues, and better acquaint themselves with the intern class.

Medical Grand Rounds

Medical Grand Rounds is a premier weekly conference that brings together the faculty, fellows, housestaff, and students for a comprehensive update on key topics in internal medicine. Speakers include faculty who have distinguished themselves in their field of expertise and are from our own institution and other institutions.

A select number of dates are reserved each year for housestaff presentations, which include the two best senior presentations and the best presentations accepted for a national conference.

For individuals who are unable to attend a presentation of Medical Grand Rounds, the presentations are posted on the Department of Medicine Web site for later viewing.

Chief of Medicine Case Conferences

Chief of Medicine Case Conferences are held bimonthly and are devoted to in-depth case presentations from the inpatient services. A resident first presents a case up to a pivotal point in diagnostic decision making. A generalist without knowledge of the outcome then reviews the patient's case as an "unknown" and provides a differential diagnosis and approach to the workup. Specialists from various departments provide additional analyses, including interpretation of radiographic studies and pathology results, and discuss specific interventions and the final outcome. These sessions are always a favorite among the housestaff and faculty and give residents an insight into the diagnostic thought processes of our faculty physicians.

Specialty Track Conferences

Specialty Track Conferences are held each week and focus on topics that are important to specialties covered in our internal medicine tracks (women's health, geriatrics, etc.). They also serve as a forum in which health professionals, residents, and students from medicine and other disciplines can share ideas and opportunities to advance the agenda of the specialties. Although the conferences are designed for individuals in the specialty tracks, all housestaff are welcome to attend and contribute.