Residency Program

The exceptional clinical opportunities at USC coupled with our structured teaching and clinical programs foster the maturation of our residents into excellent clinicians.

Our residents are exposed to a scope of clinical pathology that is unrivaled in the United States.

Keck School residents are well-rounded individuals with a commitment to education and patient care. They have the opportunity to develop excellent diagnostic and management skills while learning hands on medicine from a patient base with a remarkable range of common and uncommon clinical problems. Our residents are clinical members of our care teams and are allowed progressive autonomy in their roles as physicians in training. At the completion of their training, internal medicine residents are outstanding physicians well suited and exceptionally qualified for any fellowship or career in Internal Medicine.

The principle goal of the internal medicine residency program is to train our residents to be talented and compassionate internists and thus ensure their access to a wide range of career options. The breadth of our curriculum allows us to provide our trainees with a unique range of experiences in both ambulatory and inpatient care.

Our more than 200 full-time Department of Medicine faculty boasts a variety of research programs in basic laboratory science, epidemiology, health outcomes, and translational and clinical research. Our residents have the opportunity to work side by side with our faculty on these research projects providing an avenue for incorporation of scientific investigation to their comprehensive medical education.

Applicants to the internal medicine residency program must apply through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). All internship positions will be offered through the National Residency Match Program (NRMP). Our program number is 1033140C0.

Our requirements for application include:

• Applications are accepted only through ERAS. Documents that are mailed, faxed or emailed will not be incorporated into your file.
• Deadline for submitting your application is December 1, 2016.
• All applicants must take the USMLE. We do not accept COMLEX as your only exam.
• A completed application must include the ERAS common application form, medical school transcript, a letter from the Dean of your Medical School, personal statement, a letter from your department Chairman or designee, and two additional letters.
• International Graduates should possess valid ECFMG certificates and have the State of California eligibility letter. We only accept J-1 visas. US clinical experience is required.
• If your application is selected for an invitation to interview, you will be contacted via email through ERAS. All applications submitted through ERAS will be reviewed.

Conferences

Specialty Grand Rounds

• Once a month, we feature specialty grand rounds where renowned speakers from around the world are invited to speak on their topic of expertise. These sessions are hosted in conjunction with each specialty division.

Senior Grand Rounds

• A weekly clinically-based conference where senior residents, under the guidance of a faculty expert, give formal case presentations and comprehensive overview.

Morbidity and Mortality

• A monthly interdisciplinary conference for the review of cases in which morbidity or mortality has occurred. Pathologic specimens and autopsy results of Internal Medicine patients are reviewed. Residents and faculty engage in a discussion regarding root cause analysis and how to use the data to improve patient care.

Clinicopathological Case Conference

• A monthly conference whereby a senior resident, under faculty supervision, focuses on working through a broad differential diagnosis after being given limited clinical data to solve an unknown case. Faculty discussants will be present to discuss the workup and thought processes and if relevant, a Pathologist will be invited if biopsies were taken.

Goldstein Morning Report

• Goldstein Morning Report is named in honor of our former Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs, Dr. Goldstein. Cases are prepared by junior and senior residents on the General Inpatient Medicine Service and are moderated by the Associate Program Directors. These sessions are attended by multiple subspecialty faculty members from divisions within the Department of Medicine who expertly guide our residents through the case.

Chief Morning Report

• A weekly session for house staff assigned to the General Medicine Service. Residents present cases as “unknowns” from the general medicine service. These sessions are moderated by the Chief Residents and focuses on board-specific material.

Core Lectures

Intern Boot Camp

• A week-long session for incoming interns focused on easing the transition into residency. Our chief residents and core faculty present an overview of our main inpatient rotations, primary care continuity clinic, inpatient and outpatient hints, and review top nursing calls.  These sessions have always been highly received by our interns.

Ambulatory Care Curriculum

• An ongoing and repeating case-based series on important topics in ambulatory Internal Medicine. Topics are assigned and presented by residents during the first half-hour of each General Medicine continuity clinic session.

Journal Club

• A monthly faculty-guided session focused on teaching house officers how to interpret and critique study designs and conclusions of landmark journal articles. The articles are presented by residents during a noon session and are facilitated by a specialty faculty discussant.

Core Curriculum

• An ongoing and repeating series of lectures targeted to each resident class delivered weekly in protected afternoon sessions. The lectures cover the breadth of Internal Medicine and are arranged to provide a strong fundamental knowledge base during residency.

PGY3 Board Review

• Preparation for the American Board of Internal Medicine Certifying Examination occurs throughout residency training. The program provides MKSAP to all entering PGY1s and a structured board preparation course begins throughout the PGY3 year. For one week during the year, all senior residents are relieved of clinical duties and participate in a dedicated ABIM Board Review course taught by faculty. This allows senior residents to focus on their studies and prepare efficiently for their upcoming boards

Simulations & Workshops

Surgical Skills and Fresh Tissue Lab

• Residents receive state-of-the art training in procedure competency on both mannequins and fresh cadavers in our two simulation centers on campus.

Ultrasound Workshop

• All residents participate in a longitudinal ultrasound course in which they learn and develop their skills in the use an ultrasound machine to evaluate lung and cardiac pathology in standardized patients. Residents also practice procedural dexterity with gelatin models early on in the workshop.

ACLS Workshop

• Residents receive regular afternoon refresher sessions throughout the year to practice running codes.