Reading Hospital's Internal Medicine Program includes a robust schedule of conferences, grand rounds, seminars, and education programs shared with other departments.

AM Report

Two months of Intern report, unscripted and reviewing the night’s cases and systems issues is taught by the group’s top teachers. Interns then join seniors to a case-based didactic discussion that includes direct feedback to the presenter with automated electronic forms so that listener and speaker alike leave learning something new.

Board Review

Get your lunch and sit in the lounge with Dr. Donato and some board review questions twice a week for the entire year. Audience response systems record your answers so you can later “hone in” on your weaknesses.

M&M Conference

The resident works in close collaboration with the Chair of Medicine and the Chief Resident in developing an objective analysis of the “root cause” issues associated with an adverse outcome. The resident learns to work with specialty staff and quality improvement officers to define key barriers to optimal care. Results from these sessions support broader interventions for improvement in quality of patient care.

Didactic Sessions

Daily mid-day lectures, called the “Survival Series,” help interns develop the core knowledge base critical for medicine practice. Throughout the year, residents are challenged by highly interactive didactics in multiple venues.

Daily routine varies, based on the service to which you are assigned:

Inpatient General Medicine Service

  • 7 to 7:30 a.m.
    • AM report (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday)
    • Sign over (Wednesday)
    • Radiology Conference (Friday)
  • 7:30 to 8 a.m. - Sign over and Team Huddle, walk rounds on most critical patients
  • 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. - Grand Rounds (Wednesday)
  • 8 to 11:45 a.m. - See patients, discharge patients
  • 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. - General Medicine, Service Formal, Teaching Didactics
  • 12:15 to 1 p.m. - Noon conference (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday)
  • 1 to 6 p.m. - Admissions, Care of Floor Patients, Bedside Education
  • 2 to 2:45 p.m. - Simulation (Wednesday and Thursday)
  • Sign out upper year night float at 6 p.m. and intern sign out 5 p.m.

Ambulatory Medicine Services

  • 7 to 7:30 a.m. - Combined AM report (Monday)
  • 7:30 to 8 a.m. - Ambulatory AM report (Tuesday and Friday)
  • 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. - Grand Rounds (Wednesday)
  • 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. - Office-based patient care and teaching
  • 12:15 to 1 p.m. - Formal Didactics (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday)
  • 1 to 6 p.m. - Office-based patient care and teaching

Night call responsibilities vary depending on your year of residency. 

Admission Teaching Service

  • Noon to 10 p.m. - Admits patients from the emergency department with one other intern and one medical student
  • 4 to 9 p.m. - Runs rapid response/code blue

First-year Residents

Block 1

  • Double the number of interns per team as usual
  • Short call to 9 p.m. hours every fourth night
  • No ICU
  • Four consecutive night float shifts from within the team

Blocks 2 - 13

  • Medicine Teaching Service – short call to 9 p.m. every four nights 
  • No long call
  • ICU – three weeks with no overnight call 
  • One weekend night shift during those three weeks (5 p.m. to 7 a.m. with other weekend days off) 
  • One week of night shifts only (6 p.m. to 8 a.m. Monday thru Thursday and 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Friday and Saturday) with Sunday off
  • Other rotations – Average one Saturday 8:30 p.m. to 8 a.m. every other month 
  • Night Float – Sunday-Friday, 8:30 p.m. to 8 a.m.

Upper-year residents

Block 1

  • On call about every six nights (providing double coverage for new interns)

Blocks 2 - 12

  • Medicine Teaching Service – no call responsibilities
  • ICU – three weeks with no overnight call 
  • One weekend night shift during those three weeks (5 p.m. to 7 a.m. with other weekend days off) 
  • One week of night shifts only (6 p.m. to 8 a.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Friday and Saturday) with Sunday off
  • Other rotations - Average one weekend day every four to five weeks
  • Night Float - Monday-Friday, 6 p.m. to 8 a.m.