Internal Medicine Residency Program
Program Information
Residents in the UMDNJ/RWJMS Internal Medicine Training Program at Cooper University Hospital are members of an academic medical center in which there is a commitment to learning medicine as science not as facts, while providing the highest quality medical care to a diverse patient population in Southern New Jersey. The medical residency program currently consists of 53 residents. There are 21 PGY-1 positions: 6 of these are preliminary, for residents planning on entering other fields, and 15 are three-year positions.
Rotations
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Categorical Residents
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PGY - 1 |
PGY - 2 |
PGY - 3 |
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3 months General Medicine Floors / Geriatrics
0.5 month Neurology
2 months CCU/PCU
1 month ICU
1.5 months Night Float
0.5 month Consult Service
0.5 month Hem/Onc
1.5 months Elective
0.5 month Admitting Intern
1 month Vacation
0.5 month Ambulatory Office |
3 months General Medicine Floors / Geriatrics
1 month ER
1 month CCU
1 month ICU
1 month Night Float
1 month Heme/Onc
3 months Electives
0.5 month Admitting Resident
1 month Vacation |
1 months General Medicine Floors
1 month Ambulatory Office
0.5 month Neurology
1 month Consults
1 month Systems-Based Practice Elective
2.5 months Electives
0.5 month Admitting Resident (Day)
0.5 month Geriatrics (Outpatient)
1 month Research
0.5 month Women's Health
0.5 month Admitting Resident (Evening)
1 month Derm-Opthal-Non-Operative Orthopeadics
1 month Vacation | |
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Preliminary Year Residents
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PGY - 1 |
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3 months General Medicine Floors / Geriatrics
1.5-2 months Elective
0.5 month Admitting Intern
1 month ICU
1.5 -2 months CCU/PCU
0.5 month Neurology
1.5 months Night Float
0.5 month Consult Service
0.5 month Hem/Onc
1 month Vacation | |
Teaching
At Cooper, we are committed to education is along with highest quality patient care.
- A chief of medicine, deputy chair for education and research, and program director who are known nationally for research, clinical skills and commitment to teaching.
- Total 150 accessible full-time faculty members dedicated to teaching and patient care.
- Year-round didactic conferences are based on the science, art and business of medicine.
- Daily bedside teaching rounds.
- An Evidence-Based Medicine initiative in which senior residents develop and hone their skills in real-time bedside EBM.
- A board review course is provided for senior residents to prepare for certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
- Besides clinical “Hard Science” topics; professionalism, leadership, humanism, end of life care and medical ethics are also included in teaching curriculum
Medicine Floor Rotation
This is the rotation where our residents learn core of the inpatient educational program of our residency. Resident and intern work as a team in the care of the hospitalized medical patient under supervision of a hospitalist.
- The medical services run as a “firm” system with total seven firms, in which longitudinal patient care is emphasized. Firms are geographically based to maximize efficiency.
- Each firm consists of one intern, one resident, medical student + sub-I with hospitalist.
- There are two non teaching firms to "unload" the house staff. These firms are staffed by hospitalist only.
- We believe that best way to learn medicine is at bedside. Daily bedside teaching rounds occur from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. These rounds are led by senior resident in the team.
Medical Admitting Team
This innovative rotation helps house staff to learn triage and administrative skills during the day and evening. It consists of Medical Admitting Intern (MAI), Medical Admitting Resident (MAR) and Medical Admitting Hospitalist (MAH) during day time; & MAR and MAI at night time with medicine attending on call. Responsibilities include:
- Admitting all patients from ER, and all the direct admits
- Part of “Code team” – MAR is “Code Leader” and responsible for responding all “Code Blues” in the hospital.
Intensive Care Unit Experience
Currently, Cooper University Hospital has 25 bed Medical/Surgical ICU which will be replaced by brand new, state of the art 30 bed ICU in new pavilion in fall 2008. ICU is staffed by nationally and internationally well known board certified intensivists including Dr. Dellinger who make significant contribution to education. Cooper ICU is a tertiary referral center for entire South Jersey leading to very complex and diverse patient population in ICU. Medicine residents work together with ER residents, Surgery residents and anesthesia residents along with ICU fellow.
Cardiology Experience
There 12 bed Coronary Care Unit (CCU) with 36 bed Cardiology Step down unit with telemetry (Progressive Care Unit – PCU). For residents, CCU rotation is combined with PCU rotation to provide longitudinal care. Under leadership of Dr. Parrillo and Dr. Hollenberg, Cooper Heart Institute has undergone tremendous growth in last 6 years. We have nationally known cardiologists on faculty, state of the art technologies and most advanced treatment options which provide an excellent cardiology experience to medicine house staff.
Ambulatory Experience
Ambulatory care experience is provided at many primary care offices including primary care and subspecialties. All medical residents have dedicated one half-day per week in our outpatient primary care offices for their continuity clinic. Additionally, PGY- 3 residents have additional monthly primary care block. Our main site for outpatient training is outpatient offices located across the hospital. It is a typical inner city urban clinic with diverse patient population. Additionally, we have more than 20 satellite clinics in suburban areas. Combination of these two different kinds of practices provides a distinctive educational experience. In the outpatient offices, residents become part of a true private practice and are exposed to the business and office management aspects of patient care. We have integrated web-based Johns Hopkins ambulatory care curriculum in our ambulatory experience.
Night Float
It is our strong belief that to really get a good sleep at night; house officers should sleep at home. Cooper was one of the first hospitals in the region to institute a night float system. This has been in place for over 10 years and has been a huge success. Our system allows our house officers to have uninterrupted sleep at home during most nights throughout the year. Well-rested house officers are more likely to feel positive about coming to work, to be enthusiastic about their next admission, to stay awake in conferences and be able to read on their nights off. House officers on night float are evaluated by our innovative and nationally recognized night float portfolio system. At the end of shift, night float team meets Dr. Rajput to discuss any interesting cases they saw previous night.
Electives
Elective are offered in a wide variety of subspecialties in both inpatient and outpatient setting. Moreover, our residents actively participate in development of new electives. In year 2007; electives were developed in Geriatrics, Women’s Health and Psychiatry with residents writing curricula with faculty and program director.
Here is the list of electives currently offered:
Evaluation
We have implemented 360 degree evaluation system. All residents are evaluated by faculty and fellow residents. At the same time, residents evaluate fellow residents and faculty. All our evaluations are through new-innovations. All interns meet with Dr. Spevetz or Dr. Headly every 3 months for a formal evaluation. All PGY-2 and PGY-3 will have semi annual meetings with Dr. Rajput for same.
At Cooper we have created an environment where feedback is an integral process of learning. Besides formal evaluation, feedback on a daily basis from faculty and peers is an integral component of evaluation.
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CLICK HERE to view and print the complete Internal Medicine residency brochure | |
Contact Information
Director: Vijay Rajput, M.D., FACP
Associate Program Directors: Elizabeth Cerceo, M.D., Anna Headly, M.D., MFA and Antoinette Spevetz, M.D.
Contact: Laura Chropka or Emily Hartsough, Medical Education Coordinators
Phone: 856 -757-7842
Fax: 856 - 968- 9587
Email: IMresidency@cooperhealth.edu
Address: Cooper University Hospital, UMDNJ– Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Camden, 401 Haddon Avenue, E&R Building, 3rd Floor, Camden, NJ 08103