How old is University of Chicago’s Med-Peds Program?
The program started in 1983!
What percentage of U of C Med-Peds graduates pursue subspecialty training?
About half of our graduates go on to specialize by entering a wide variety of Medicine, Pediatric or combined Med-Peds fellowships. And half explore careers in hospitalist medicine and/or pediatrics, Med-Peds primary care, or both. The vast majority of our graduates continue in both Medicine and Pediatrics. Please visit our Alumni Page for more information.
How many residents are currently in the Med-Peds program?
We have 4 residents a year giving us 16 residents a year.
What is the call schedule like?
We are fully compliant with the ACGME mandated Duty Hour rules. The call schedule varies by service from every fourth night call to a night float system for inpatient rotations. Please see the Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Chief Websites for detailed information.
How long is internship?
Intern year is 12 months long, with 6 total months on Medicine and 6 total months on Pediatrics.
How is the schedule generated for Med-Peds residents?
One of the Med-Peds chief residents is in charge of generating the annual schedule in conjunction with each resident. Both categorical departments are very understanding of Med-Peds scheduling constraints and work hard to accommodate residents’ needs and requests. During the first two years of residency, switches from pediatrics to medicine occur every three months. More flexibility is provided during third and fourth year in order to best prepare each resident for his or her future career path.
Do residents rotate outside of the University of Chicago?
As part of our Pediatrics curriculum, we rotate at the Infant Special Care Unit (ISCU) and have the option of rotating on inpatient pediatrics at Evanston hospital in Evanston, Illinois (just north of the city). We also have the option of rotating at La Rabida Hospital (just southeast of our hospital on the lakefront). The majority of Pediatrics rotations are at Comer Children’s Hospital. This combination of rotations yields diverse experiences with patients across the spectrum of healthcare and social need. All required Internal Medicine rotations are at the University of Chicago Medical Center. There is also the possibility to use elective time to pursue rotations at other hospitals in a desired specialty with programmatic support.
What percentage of the curriculum is devoted to ambulatory training?
About 40% of the training for our traditional track is devoted to ambulatory training. Residents who participate in the LUCENT primary care track during their 3rd and 4th years have additional ambulatory time.
Is there an opportunity to take International electives?
Yes! When designing your individualized curriculum, you are able to do at least 1-2 blocks of international electives. The opportunities range from joining an established program or coordinating your own international elective.
Which conferences are available for residents?
Both the Internal Medicine and Pediatrics departments offer a daily morning report and noon conference (including department-wide grand rounds once a week). Morning reports are generally case-based and interactive. In both departments, Med-Peds residents are required to periodically lead morning report. Other unique conferences include grand rounds, basic science lectures, a healthcare disparities curriculum, global health seminars, morbidity and mortality conferences, and monthly joint conferences between the IM and Emergency Medicine departments. Med-Peds hosts monthly grand rounds available to both the Internal Medicine and Pediatrics departments.
Ambulatory topics are covered utilizing the web-based PEAC Modules over the four years. Additionally, there is a lecture series addressing evidence-based medicine, quality improvement and other ambulatory topics that occurs during the 4 ambulatory rotations during second through fourth years of residency. There is a monthly med-peds lecture series largely devoted to ambulatory care and a quarterly med-peds half-day conference that allows for hands-on activities and program bonding.
For both departments, months spent in the ICU include daily relevant lectures for residents rotating that month. Sub-specialty conferences are also offered for residents on sub-specialty electives.
What retreats do the med-peds residents attend?
We benefit from being members of both the Medicine and Pediatric departments as well as our Med-Peds residency. Our residents attend all Internal Medicine and Pediatrics retreats, additional days off, and additional training days offered on both sides for each PGY level. Coverage is provided so everyone can enjoy the retreats and days off with their class despite being on Medicine during the Pediatrics retreat and vice-versa. In addition, all MedPeds residents are covered to attend our MedPeds Retreat in the Spring and our graduation dinner at the end of the year.
What are Med-Peds Grand Rounds?
Med-Peds Grand Rounds are an opportunity to highlight Med-Peds topics in a forum for both categorical departments. We invite all faculty and residents from the Med-Peds department as well as the Internal Medicine and Pediatrics departments to attend a lecture given by a visiting speaker addressing a topic in the realm of MedPeds.
Which board review resources are available to residents?
Both categorical departments do an excellent job of providing both structured board review and additional resources to aid in preparing for the boards. Annual in-service exams are offered in both departments, and detailed score reports aid in identifying areas of strength or weakness in an individualized manner.
What recent changes have occurred in the UofC MedPeds Program?
During our annual retreat, we review our program survey and have an open forum for residents to discuss the program and suggest any changes. These are then considered by the program steering committee (made up of resident and attending physicians).
What are the strengths of the U of C Med Peds Program?
1 – Our community. Our residents, faculty, and clinic staff are extraordinarily supportive of each other. At every level–whether by innovating changes in our program structure to facilitate wellness or by sharing in social activities and major life events–our program members are there for each other.
3 – Our program leadership. We love our core faculty. We are also strongly supported by the categorical program directors.
4 – Advising/Support. In addition to our biannual reviews with our program director, each resident is part of a Quattro with a chief resident and core faculty mentor. We have a dedicated Med Peds research mentor in Dr. Valerie Press. We have plenty of MedPeds subspecialty faculty working at the University of Chicago who are always approachable for advising and support.
5 – Individualized curriculum. As you can see by our curriculum, our program allows flexibility in scheduling to allow the resident to create a curriculum that meets their interests and needs. This has led to residents pursuing global health, advocacy, medical education, LGBTQIA+ healthcare, complex care, and research, among many other interests.
6 – Clinic. Our ambulatory continuity clinic is our MedPeds home base. We maintain continuity with our panel of patients over the four years. It is rewarding to see the same child from their newborn visit to their 4-year-old visit and have the flexibility to schedule frequent visits in order to better control an adult patient’s chronic illnesses. Our patients identify the resident as their Primary Care Physician.
Are there “moonlighting” opportunities for residents?
Yes – a resident needs to be in good standing to qualify for extra service pay shifts (“moonlighting)” and must comply with duty hour restrictions. On medicine, a resident can rotate as an admitting and/or covering physician for hospitalist general medicine and as the friday night resident for the CCU.
What are some of the fun things you do as a Program?
In addition to the MedPeds retreat and graduation dinner, we coordinate multiple social activities. Our program sponsors monthly socials for the residents to celebrate switch dinners, birthdays, life milestones and everything in between!
Where do residents live?
Our residents live throughout Chicago finding a neighborhood that fits them. Many residents live in the South Loop which has easy access to Hyde Park via Lake Shore Drive and the rest of the city by the L (Chicago’s train line – “eLevated”). Others live in Hyde Park, which is a vibrant, diverse university community and often walking distance to the hospital. Additionally, we have had residents live in Wicker Park, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Andersonville, or Indiana. Parking for residents at our main hospital campus is subsidized.
What is the patient population like at the University of Chicago?
Our patient population is extremely diverse, reflecting the geographically and economically isolated and medically underserved population in our primary service area, our large University population and our office of International Medicine. We are devoted to providing comprehensive, evidence-based, culturally competent care and reducing health care disparities.
What is the range of conditions residents will see at the University of Chicago?
Both our Medicine and Pediatrics programs have full complements of specialists and sub-specialists, level 1 trauma centers for adults and children, and robust transplant programs thus residents care for patients with a wide variety of health conditions.
What is the learning environment like at the University of Chicago?
Our programs provide residents with a high level of autonomy and outstanding supervision by full-time academic faculty, maximizing your learning in the safest possible environment.