Generalist Track: Special Features

Unique Schedule of Clinical Rotations

    • Enhanced ambulatory care and hospitalist experiences (see Ambulatory Elective Rotations and Hospitalist Special Elective Rotations in the tabs on the right)

Practice-Partnership Model

    • 1:1 mentored relationship with faculty internist expert in ambulatory or hospitalist medicine
    • For the Primary Care/Ambulatory Pathway: longitudinal care of private patients in comprehensive general internal medicine

Core Curriculum of General Internal Medicine

    • Conferences, workshops, and small-group experiences
    • Track Day Noontime Conference
    • Pre-clinic Conference
    • Ambulatory Morning Report
    • Hospitalist Morning Report

Focus on Mastery of Clinical Skills

    • Extensive opportunities for evaluation and longitudinal management of complex patients
    • Advanced training in physical diagnosis skills
    • Substantial training in procedures
    • Training as leaders of multidisciplinary teams

An Individualized Approach to Career Development

    • Exciting menu of electives in ambulatory, hospitalist, subspecialty, and research options
    • Dedicated mentor in general internal medicine
    • Research mentor within area of interest
    • Access to over 100 general medicine faculty advisors and multiple additional subspecialty faculty advisors
    • Mentored project in research, curriculum development, or health care delivery

Option for Comprehensive Training in Research

The Clinical Scientist Training (CSTP) Program was developed as a training opportunity for residents interested in a research career. Residents who have an interest in research related to general internal medicine can participate in both the CSTP and the Generalist Tracks simultaneously.

Health Policy Curriculum

The Generalist Track and the Global Health and Underserved Populations Track have combined forces to sponsor and develop a curriculum in health policy. This consortium is composed of faculty and residents who have worked together to bring the current health care debate into the residency.

    • Health policy didactics and discussions of hot topics take place during the intern ambulatory block. They are developed and delivered by residents. Topics covered are the history of health care in the United States, Medicare and Medicaid, the current organization of U.S. health care, and current issues in U.S. health care.
    • Monthly meetings of the Resident/Faculty Health Policy Journal Club help residents and faculty stay abreast of health policy publications in the medical and lay press. Our first meeting included a discussion of the Atul Gawande article “The Cost Conundrum,” published in The New Yorker in June 2009. The journal club serves to increase the knowledge base about this complex literature and provides a forum for the exchange of ideas.
    • SGIM Sponsored Hill Day at Washington DC: University of Pittsburgh internal medicine residents travel to Washington D.C. annually to lobby their Unites States Senators and Representatives. The Hill Day was sponsored by the Society for General Internal Medicine (SGIM). Residents received training in current “hot topic” health legislation as well as practical training on how to advocate to legislators in Washington.
    • Elective: Health Policy and Advocacy for the Busy Clinician: This two week elective was launched September 2012. The mission was to teach residents about the myriad influences on the practice of medicine that go beyond the traditional bio,psycho,social model. Residents learned about the impact of insurance, big pharma, legislation, regulations, politics, medical malpractice and health economics on the practice of medicine and their patients’ experiences. The second week of the elective is spent at the Pennsylvania State Capital engaging in advocacy activities.

SGIM or Bust!

The Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) is the professional home for general internists. This organization provides multiple opportunities for residents in general internal medicine to become skillful in research, education, and patient care. Members include physicians with international reputations in clinical care, research and education.

Training in Cost Conscious Care

The current economic and political climate has led the cost of modern day clinical practice to be scrutinized as never before. With the development of payment models that include Accountability Care Organizations, residents will not only need to be cognizant of the cost of their own decisions but also the costs of consultants care. Generalist track residents will be taught explicitly about the cost of care for their own patients in their clinics, on the wards and in morning report. The UPMC residency programs strives to make High Value Cost Conscious Care part of the everyday culture for the residents.

The LEAD Scholarly Project

As part of the residency LEAD program, generalist track residents have the opportunity to engage in health systems research, or quality improvement or curriculum development scholarly activities to develop expertise within a specific area of general internal medicine. Currently our residents are working on scholarly projects to develop and evaluate a curriculum in cost conscious care, an evaluation and comparison of primary care provided to HIV positive patients in HIV and primary care clinics, a curriculum for interns to educate 3rd year medical students, and an evaluation of the impact of media on health and health behaviors.