Overview
We welcome you to learn more about the most established internal medicine training program in Las Vegas, Nevada. The former University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine Las Vegas Internal Medicine Residency Program started in 1979. The training program is highly successful in developing proficient physicians who embrace their role and the duty to put their patients first. The medium size of our program fosters a supportive learning environment with frequent direct interaction with faculty. Collegiality amongst the residents, fellows, and faculty is one of our major strengths. Our residents have the opportunity to work directly under the supervision of our fellows in cardiology, critical care medicine, endocrinology, gastroenterology, geriatrics, and pulmonary critical care medicine.
Training in the state-of-the-art simulation center enhances the resident experience by practicing procedures and participating in simulated codes using a high-fidelity simulator. We also incorporate the use of standardized patients to advance communication skills.
We were accredited for 10 years by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) at our most recent site visit.
Las Vegas is truly a fabulous city with more depth than one imagines based on first impressions. In addition to robust dining and its status as an entertainment capital, residents are able to enjoy the great outdoors in a growing medical environment. Read more about living in Las Vegas.
Private call rooms are provided for interns and residents when on night admit shifts. There are additional sleep rooms available for residents any time they are feeling too fatigued to work or drive home.
Curriculum
The residency program has a multimodal approach to learning, including both hands-on and self-directed approaches. We have set resident conferences with our core didactics and interactive case-based noon reports. Additionally, teaching occurs in all clinical services. We incorporate online modules to supplement and aid further learning.
Resident Conferences and Learning Opportunities
Conferences include noon reports, weekly intern noon reports, and weekly academic half-days every Tuesday. A board review series is incorporated into the conference series. The Veterans Administration (VA) Southern Nevada Healthcare System also conducts a daily noon conference, except on Tuesdays when they participate in the academic half-day via video. The residency program aims to promote self-directed learning with the use of learning communities and asynchronous learning opportunities. These include the internal medicine curriculum from the John Hopkins Physician Education and Assessment Center, Butterfly Academy’s Education Point of Care Ultrasound modules, and an ambulatory curriculum that utilizes a disease of the month series.
We vary the format of our morning reports to foster a stimulating learning environment. Chief resident led morning case reports focus on diagnostic evaluation and management of recently seen cases. Subspecialty service specific reports are conducted by residents and supervised by fellows and attending physicians. Additionally, we also discuss pertinent evidence-based medicine topics as part of the ambulatory-based medicine morning report, which occurs once a month. Morning reports typically occur on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Campus.
Every Friday, we have a dedicated noon report for the interns. This allows the chief residents to focus on core topics in internal medicine, such as managing inpatient insulin regimens, evaluation of elevated liver enzymes, acute kidney injury, and many more. This gives the interns an opportunity to ask questions and discuss topics in a supportive and collaborative environment with other interns. Intern noon reports are held for the first half of the year.
Every day except Tuesday, there is a noon report that occurs at the VA similar to Morning Report at the main campus. These noon reports are provided for all residents who are on a medicine or subspecialty service at the VA each block. The discussions are focused on diagnostic evaluation and management issues given by VA subspecialists and general internal medicine attendings. Grand rounds at the VA typically occur one Thursday of each month.
Every day except Tuesday, there is a noon report that occurs at the VA similar to the morning report at the main campus. These noon reports are provided for all residents who are on a medicine or subspecialty service at the VA each block. The discussions are focused on diagnostic evaluation and management issues given by VA subspecialists and general internal medicine attendings. Grand rounds at the VA typically occur one Thursday of each month.
Board review is conducted weekly starting in August. Sessions are conducted by faculty and subspecialty fellows. The program provides residents with board review resources: all interns receive the Digital Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program (MKSAP) 19, while all second- and third-year residents receive UWorld’s American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM).
Residents are pre-assigned cases on core ambulatory topics. They use the cases to teach their peers with a faculty facilitator present. The disease of the month curriculum is a 36-month recurring curriculum. Residents also complete board review questions and review relevant journal articles in the ambulatory setting.
Simulation
Our residents have multiple opportunities for experiences in our state-of-the-art Clinical Simulation (SIM) Center of Las Vegas:
Residents have hands-on experience on sim trainers to practice central venous lines, arterial lines, thoracentesis, and paracentesis. All sessions are led by pediatric critical care medicine (PCCM) faculty and fellows. Residents are provided one-on-one instruction and feedback.
We have at least two standardized patient encounters every academic year, including informed consent and difficult conversations/end-of-life workshops.
Residents learn the basics and principles of ultrasound through American College of Physicians (ACP) resources and a tutorial from our PCCM Faculty.
Residents have hands-on experience on point-of-care ultrasound sessions with standardized patients.
Our program collaborates with nursing students for mock interdisciplinary codes. Sessions are supervised by faculty and fellows who also provide debriefing and feedback.