Our program
The education and clinical training of internal medicine residents are the central focus of the department of medicine. Our curriculum is well balanced between inpatient and ambulatory care activities. The unifying principle is to provide experiences that enable the trainee to acquire the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes of the internist in order to provide in depth, comprehensive care.
In a usual year, there are approximately 90 residents rotating through 3 hospitals. The hospitals affiliated with our program are all Joint Commission-approved facilities near LLUMC. They include the following:
● Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC)
● Jerry L. Pettis Memorial (Loma Linda) VA Medical Center (VAMC)
● Riverside County Regional Medical Center (RCRMC) - in Moreno Valley
The diversity of these settings and patient populations gives our residents a well-rounded clinical and technical experience.
Internship (PGY-1)
Internship is designed to provide experiences with enable the trainee to make the transition from medical student to clinically competent physician. PGY-1 residents spend approximately 4 months in general medicine wards, 2 months in critical care and 6 months in other rotations, including geriatrics, neurology and an elective month.
Preliminary interns take part in the same curriculum and develop a solid base of internal medicine knowledge before entering their chosen specialty. Residents completing their preliminary internship pursue such fields as anesthesiology, dermatology, emergency medicine, neurology, ophthalmology, physical medicine and rehabilitation and radiology. Inpatient experience is predominantly scheduled on the general medicine and subspecialty wards at LLUMC and VAMC. Ambulatory experience is provided through ambulatory and elective rotations.
PGY-2
The second year is designed to provide experience in the supervision of interns and medical students and broader clinical experiences in primary and consultative medicine. They spend time on MICU, CCU, and 3 months of general medicine wards and the remainder consists of an elective, subspecialty and ambulatory rotations.
PGY-3
The third year of training is designed to provide mastery of the academic and clinical skills necessary to become a board certified internist. Clinical experiences emphasize ambulatory training. Generally, residents rotate through the medicine wards at RCRMC and have approximately 2 months of critical care and 2 months ambulatory medicine in addition to an elective, emergency medicine, and exposure to the subspecialty rotations.
Research
Research as a dedicated effort is available. Several faculty members have ongoing research projects and we have contacts with labs in many areas in which residents can be placed. We encourage early planning of a project so that funding and time can be arranged.
Primary Care Track
The primary care track provides unique and comprehensive training for those who plan careers in primary care general internal medicine. Our goal is to train highly competent, socially responsible general internists skilled in the contemporary methods of primary care. While maintaining the traditional core of training in internal medicine, the primary care track emphasizes the role of the internist as a member of an interdisciplinary healthcare team working not only with other physicians, but also allied health professionals such as psychologists, nurses, social workers, dietitians, physical therapists, and occupational therapists.
The primary care track supplements the traditional track in several ways. First, the curriculum emphasizes rotations in outpatient geriatrics, adolescent medicine, psychiatry, dermatology, community resources, managed care, and women's health. The curriculum also includes conferences on primary care topics and ambulatory case presentations. Second, elective opportunities are extended beyond the traditional subspecialty rotations to include addiction medicine, allergy and immunology, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, pediatrics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and women's health. Third, the continuity care clinic experience is extended to include two clinics per week on non-call rotations. In general, the ambulatory care experience emphasizes preparation for the practice of integrated, whole-person, primary care. Residents learn ambulatory procedural skills such as flexible sigmoidoscopy, skin biopsies, and medical gynecology in order to prepare them for the delivery of comprehensive primary care.
Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Program
The combined medicine-pediatrics residency is a four-year program sponsored jointly by the departments of medicine and pediatrics at Loma Linda University Medical Center and Loma Linda University Children's Hospital. Its purpose is to provide broad, in-depth training for individuals interested in primary care of both children and adults.
This four-year program alternates four-month block rotations between medicine and pediatrics, and exposes the house officer to all the core general medicine and pediatric rotations as well as each of the subspecialties of both departments. A combined medicine-pediatrics continuity clinic is chiefed by medicine-pediatrics attending physicians and maintained throughout the entire training period. Residents interact successfully with house officers of both residencies on a continuing basis. Upon successful completion of this residency program, individuals become board-eligible for internal medicine and pediatrics. Successful graduates have chosen to either practice combined internal medicine and pediatrics as a highly qualified primary care physician, while others have pursued subspecialty fellowships in either internal medicine or pediatrics.
Follow this link for more information on the Med-Peds program: Med-Peds Combined Residency or email medpeds@llu.edu.
Fellowships and advanced training
Approximately 1/3 of our residents go on to fellowship and the remainder move on to careers as hospitalists or primary care physicians--many in an academic setting. In addition, seven (7) Chief Medical Residents are appointed each year.
LLUMC offers the following fellowships:
● Oncology/Hematology
● Rheumatology
● Nephrology
● Pulmonary/Critical Care
● Cardiology
● Gastroenterology
The preliminary program in internal medicine
Preliminary interns take part in the same curriculum and develop a solid base of internal medicine knowledge before entering their chosen specialty. Residents completing their preliminary year typically pursue such fields as anesthesiology, dermatology, emergency medicine, neurology, ophthalmology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and radiology. Inpatient experience is predominantly scheduled on the general medicine and subspecialty wards at LLUMC and the VA Medical Center. Ambulatory experience is provided through the intern ambulatory block and elective rotations.
The primary care track internal medicine residency
The primary care track provides unique and comprehensive training for those who plan careers in primary care general internal medicine. Our goal is to train highly competent, socially responsible general internists skilled in the contemporary methods of primary care. While maintaining the traditional core of training in internal medicine, the primary care track emphasizes the role of the internist as a member of an interdisciplinary healthcare team working not only with other physicians, but also allied health professionals such as psychologists, nurses, social workers, dietitians, physical therapists, and occupational therapists.
The primary care track supplements the traditional track in several ways. First, the curriculum emphasizes rotations in outpatient geriatrics, adolescent medicine, psychiatry, dermatology, community resources, managed care, and women's health. The curriculum also includes conferences on primary care topics and ambulatory case presentations. Second, elective opportunities are extended beyond the traditional subspecialty rotations to include addiction medicine, allergy and immunology, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, pediatrics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and women's health. Third, the continuity care clinic experience is extended to include two clinics per week on non-call rotations. In general, the ambulatory care experience emphasizes preparation for the practice of integrated, whole-person, primary care. Residents learn ambulatory procedural skills such as flexible sigmoidoscopy, skin biopsies, and medical gynecology in order to prepare them for the delivery of comprehensive primary care.
Combined internal medicine and pediatrics
The combined medicine/pediatrics residency is a four-year program sponsored jointly by the departments of medicine and pediatrics at Loma Linda University Medical Center and Loma Linda University Children's Hospital. Its purpose is to provide broad, in-depth training for individuals interested in primary care of both children and adults.
This four-year program alternates four-month block rotations between medicine and pediatrics, and exposes the house officer to all the core general medicine and pediatric rotations as well as each of the subspecialties of both departments. A combined medicine-pediatrics continuity clinic is chiefed by medicine-pediatrics attending physicians and maintained throughout the entire training period. Residents interact successfully with house officers of both residencies on a continuing basis. Upon successful completion of this residency program, individuals become board eligible in both internal medicine and pediatrics. Successful graduates have chosen to either practice combined internal medicine and pediatrics as a highly qualified primary care physician, while others have pursued subspecialty fellowships in either internal medicine or pediatrics.
Application
All our applications are processed through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).
Much like LLUMC’s Mission of Whole Person Care, we take a holistic approach to our residents – training them to be well-rounded, compassionate and caring physicians. If you would like to know more about our training program, please contact our office.
