Program Structure

Program Structure

sample schedule structure

y-week schedule

All residents in the Cleveland Clinic Internal Medicine Residency Program rotate in X+Y fashion, on a 4+1 schedule.  The four “X” weeks are composed of inpatient, consult, elective ambulatory subspecialty, and research rotations, followed by one “Y” week of longitudinal clinic*.

Rotations during the “X” weeks are primarily at the Cleveland Clinic Main Campus, the major tertiary and quaternary care site of the enterprise. During “Y” weeks, residents serve as primary care physicians to a diverse population of patients across the Northeast Ohio community at one of 10 longitudinal clinic sites, including the VA.

The majority of our residents are part of the traditional Categorical Track. For those seeking specific clinical or educational experiences, our program offers five specialized tracks. Please note that applicants may match into the Categorical, Clinician Educator, Primary Care, and VA tracks. The Clinical Scholars Program and Hospital Medicine tracks are opportunities that Categorical residents may apply into during their training.

Residents from all tracks have a robust array of inpatient, consult, ambulatory, research, and primary care experiences, participate in standardized curricular and scholarly activities, and find success in the career paths of their choice. We welcome you to continue to explore our website to learn more.

*VA Track structure follows 4+1 structure similar to preliminary residents while not on VA blocks.

Categorical Track (NRMP Code 1968140C0): Designed for those seeking the traditional residency program structure, as outlined above. As mentioned previously, schedules are composed of diverse inpatient, consult, ambulatory, research, and longitudinal clinic experiences over the course of their three years. Learn more about the Categorical Track structure.

Clinician-Educator Track (NRMP Code 1968140C1):Designed for residents interested in pursuing careers in academic medicine, with a focus on medical education. This track promotes the acquisition of skills needed to effectively teach and assess learners, develop new curricula, and disseminate scholarly work. Learn more about the Clinician-Educator Track structure.

Clinical Scholars Program (CLINSCHOP) Track: Designed for Categorical Residents interested in careers in academic medicine, CLINSCHOP provides a 4-month block of dedicated time for research and coursework related to developing the clinician-scholar. Learn more about the Clinical Scholars Program Track structure.

Hospital Medicine Track: Designed for Categorical Residents interested in hospital leadership and inpatient-focused careers, this track dedicates its 2-month curriculum to unique hospital-focused clinical and educational activities. Interested residents are selected into this track, which is incorporated into the PGY-2 and PGY-3, during their PGY-1 year. Learn more about the Hospital Medicine Track structure.

Primary Care Track: Designed for residents who wish to practice ambulatory medicine, both in the community and academic settings. This track allots additional ambulatory experiences, opportunities to participate in dedicated practice improvement projects, and learn about unique models of care. Learn more about the Primary Care Track structure.

VA Track (NRMP Code 1968140C2): Designed for residents who are interested in healthcare systems, quality improvement, patient safety, and interprofessional collaboration, the VA Center of Excellence Track offers unique opportunity to earn a Yellow Belt Certification in Lean Six Sigma while caring for the Veterans of Northeast Ohio. The program also provides dedicated curricula in bioethics, healthcare humanities, and hosts a customizable ambulatory experience for participating residents. Learn more about the VA Track structure.

Learn more about completing your Preliminary Year at Cleveland Clinic’s Internal Medicine Residency Program.

Clinical Experience

Clinical Experience

The Cleveland Clinic Internal Medicine Residency Program allows residents to experience each of the sub-specialties of medicine in a variety of settings to help build the well-rounded internists of tomorrow. If you would like more information regarding the schedule structure and rotations available please explore the links below.

Residents not only learn from expert academic physicians, they also teach the medical students who rotate on their medicine, intensive care, subspecialty, and consult rotations.  Residency programs at Cleveland Clinic have a strong relationship with Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.  In addition to providing education and mentorship in the clinical setting, our residents are frequently involved with the medical students both in and adjacent to the classroom.  We are proud of the teaching awards and recognition that our residents receive from medical students each year.

Community Outreach

Community Outreach

Our residents love to have an impact on the local Cleveland community! Whether they're tackling food insecurity by organizing food drives or stocking the Cleveland Food Bank, performing screenings at local Health Fairs, biking at Velosano to raise money for cancer research, or volunteering to at our Langston Hughes Women's Health clinic, they love to get their hands dirty and make a difference. 

Curriculum/Conferences

Curriculum/Conferences

Our innovative didactic curriculum supplements the hands-on clinical experiences that are the core of residency education. We provide engaging and interactive conference experiences that are designed for adult learners.

Resident Conferences

To maximize time and continuity in the clinical environment, we adopted an academic half day didactic model for our interns. We gather for three hours each week for lunch, intern-led case conference, and teaching and workshops by our distinguished CCF faculty and fellows. This time is protected from all clinical obligations—no pages, no admissions, no patient appointments.

During longitudinal continuity clinic (LCC) week every 5 weeks, both seniors and interns have two half days of dedicated education that includes reverse journal club, problem-based learning, skill workshops, QI and ambulatory care curriculum.

Noon conferences provide additional opportunities for learning (and lunch!). To learn more about our conferences, explore below.

View a Sample Weekly Conference Schedule

  • Esteemed Educator Series: Invited Department Chairs and Professors across all departments at CCF and Visiting Professors from around the country deliver noon lectures to our IM residents on their area of expertise and latest updates in the field.
  • Clinical Reasoning Conference: A highly engaging conference series utilizing game-based instruction, interactive small-group discussion, and large group exercises to allow residents to reflect on clinical cases that highlight cognitive biases and examine we think. Learn more about Clinical Reasoning Conference.
  • High-Value Care Conference: This case-based conference utilizes evidence-based guidelines and small group discussions to increase resident awareness of value, quality, and cost consciousness. Learn more about Quality & Patient Safety Curriculum.
  • Medicine Grand Rounds: Selected faculty and invited speakers provide both faculty and residents with updates and expertise in medicine and its subspecialties.
  • Morbidity & Mortality Conference: M&M examines adverse patient outcomes to identify areas of improvement within a safe and supportive environment with the goal of improving patient outcomes.
  • Journal Club: We practice “reverse” Journal Club where senior residents are presented with only the clinical question from a published article. Our faculty lead discussion of investigational methods as residents design their own ideal study as a group. Finally we review and discuss the published article to see how it stacks up.
  • Intern Survival Series: A favorite for the first three months of intern year, academic half day is a dedicated crash course in inpatient medicine to kick off residency, including inpatient emergencies, common complaints, diagnostic interpretation, and the famed MICU boot camp.
  • Skill Workshops: Residents hone skills with rapid fire workshops including advanced interpretation of ECGs, acid/base disturbances, chest radiographs, Na disturbances, PFTs, designing a research poster presentation, and more.
  • Board Review: In the spring we begin board review series on Fridays with lunch for senior residents to cover high yield pearls and tips for the ABIM test.

Longitudinal Educational Experiences

  • Coaching Program: The Resident Coaching Program’s goal is to promote residents’ awareness of their growth and development, set and achieve professional goals, and improve trainee confidence in their own self-assessment and self-directed learning. Learn more about the Coaching Program.
  • Contemporary Topics in Medicine: Contemporary topics in medicine is an innovative and meaningful component of the curriculum. This educational experience facilitates professional identity, hones leadership skills, and highlights the importance of humanism in medicine. We believe that learning does not happen in a vacuum. Hence we equip residents with the skills to become effective clinician educators and word class physicians who value a holistic approach to patient care.
  • Modified Problem-Based Learning: PBL’s focus is on resident-directed learning objectives derived from a clinical case in the presence of a multidisciplinary team of experts. The learning is resident led with faculty facilitation focused on building on the resident’s knowledge and skills. Learn more about Modified PBLs.
  • Career Development: Residents learn how to find mentors and explore career paths as they prepare for job or fellowship applications. We provide CV review, mock interviews, personal statement workshops, fellowship director panels and more.
  • Quality Improvement Curriculum: In the intern and second year, residents participate in a longitudinal, experiential quality improvement (QI) curriculum. Our residents learn QI methodology while working on quality improvement projects, largely focused in the ambulatory setting. Residents achieve excellent scholarship from this experience, including poster and oral presentations at local, regional and national meetings. Residents also have the opportunity to go through a 1-week Quality and Patient Safety elective where they discuss QI scholarship via journal clubs, learn about Root Cause Analysis (RCA), and then perform an RCA based on a real safety event at the Cleveland Clinic.

Embedded Curriculum

All inpatient rotations and most consult rotations have their own resident-specific conference series to deliver timely, high-yield topics to small groups of residents on service. On additional clinic and consult electives, our residents are invited and encouraged to attend subspecialty teaching conferences with fellows and faculty.

Fellowship Match & Post Graduate Plans

Fellowship Match & Post Graduate Plans

Graduates of our program remain competitive in fellowship and job application.

2023 Fellowship Match

Cardiology (19)

  • Allegheny General
  • Beaumont – Royal Oak
  • Cleveland Clinic Foundation (2)
  • Dartmouth
  • Georgetown
  • Henry Ford Hospital
  • Houston Methodist
  • John Hopkins University
  • Mayo Clinic - Arizona
  • Pennsylvania State Hershey Medical Center
  • Summa Health
  • University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
  • University of Missouri
  • Vanderbilt University
  • Wake Forest University

Endocrinology (1)

  • Stanford University

Gastroenterology/Hepatology (11)

  • Case Western Reserve University/MetroHealth
  • Cleveland Clinic Foundation (2)
  • John Hopkins University
  • Stanford University
  • University of California – San Francisco
  • University of Florida
  • University of Maryland
  • University of Texas – Austin
  • University of Texas – Houston
  • Zucker SOM-Northwell NS/LIJ-NY

Geriatric Medicine (1)

  • University of California - San Diego

Hematology and Oncology (5)

  • Cleveland Clinic Foundation (2)
  • Montefiore
  • University of Buffalo – Rosewell Park CCC
  • University of Pennsylvania

Nephrology (3)

  • Massachusetts General Brigham
  • University of Pennsylvania Medical Center
  • Vanderbilt University

Pulmonology/Critical Care Medicine (6)

  • Cleveland Clinic Foundation (3)
  • Emory University
  • Case Western Reserve University/University Hospital

Rheumatology (1)

  • Medical University of South Carolina

2022 Fellowship Match

Allergy/Immunology (1)

  • University of Virginia

Cardiology (15)

  • Baylor College of Medicine
  • Brown University
  • Case Western Reserve University/MetroHealth
  • Cleveland Clinic Foundation (3)
  • Emory University School of Medicine
  • Pennsylvania State Hershey Medical Center
  • Temple University Hospital
  • Tufts Medical Center
  • University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
  • University of Kentucky
  • University of Rochester/ Strong Memorial
  • University of South Carolina
  • University of Texas Medical School

Critical Care (2)

  • Cleveland Clinic Foundation
  • Stanford Healthcare

Endocrinology (2)

  • Cleveland Clinic Foundation
  • Montefiore Medical Center/Einstein

Gastroenterology/Hepatology (6)

  • Advocate Health Care
  • Case Western Reserve University/MetroHealth
  • Cleveland Clinic Foundation
  • Henry Ford Hospital
  • Loyola University Medical Center
  • Mayo Clinic

General Internal Medicine (1)

  • Massachusetts General Hospital

Geriatric Medicine (1)

  • University of California - San Francisco

Hematology and Oncology (5)

  • Baylor College of Medicine
  • Cleveland Clinic (2)
  • Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education
  • University of Michigan

Infectious Disease (1)

  • University of Virginia

Nephrology (2)

  • Cleveland Clinic Foundation (2)

Pulmonology/Critical Care Medicine (4)

  • Cleveland Clinic Foundation
  • Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education
  • Medical University of South Carolina
  • University of Alabama - Birmingham

Rheumatology (3)

  • Cleveland Clinic Foundation
  • Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education
  • Medical University of South Carolina

Sleep Medicine (1)

  • Rush University Medical Center

Post-Graduate Employment, Non-Fellowship

Primary Care (1)

  • University of California -San Diego

Hospital Medicine (7)

  • Brigham And Women’s Hospital
  • Chicago
  • Cleveland Clinic Foundation (3)
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Texas -Southwestern

ICU Hospitalist (1)

  • Cleveland Clinic Foundation

View the Fellowship Match Archive

View Archive

 

Research/Scholarly Activity

Research/Scholarly Activity

Scholarly Activity is a cornerstone of Cleveland Clinic's mission and an integral part of each internal medicine resident's clinical training. 

We offer a robust scholarly activity program with research support and didactics which culminates in national presentations, publications, and awards. 

You may read more about the scholarly activity program, research support, lectures, or annual poster session at the links below.

 

Wellness

Wellness

Improving and enhancing the wellness and well-being of our internal medicine residents is a priority of our residency program. We aim to ensure residents have the best possible support for avoiding burnout and depression, while enhancing work-life balance and career satisfaction. We strive to be a community which supports a culture of physical, emotional, social, and professional wellbeing. This involves fostering connections not only with our patients, but also with each other.

Current Initiatives

Physical Wellbeing:

  • There are multiple fitness centers that residents get free access to as a part of their training, including one on main campus and easy walking distance to the hospital.
  • We host ongoing physical fitness events throughout the year, including our “Chief Runs”.
  • We work to ensure every resident has an easy way to sign up for a primary care physician in a location that works for them.

Emotional Wellbeing:

  • We provide an early introduction to our Caring for Caregivers resources, which can help with personal and work-related stresses in a compassionate and confidential way.
  • During the COVID19 pandemic, we have increased access to “Boost” appointments and enhanced access to virtual psychiatry and other support.
  • We create opportunities to share gratitude and support for fellow residents and teams within the hospital and clinic.

Professional Wellbeing:

  • Wellness Wednesday walking rounds where we visit residents on the floors, support wellness with weekly messages, check in on overall wellbeing of the resident teams, and provide snacks.  A great time to also both hear and help with any issues that teams are experiencing.
  • We provide representation on institute and hospital committees to continue to grow the culture of wellness and advocate for residents at every level. 

Social Wellbeing:

  • We have both virtual and physically distanced activities, such as our virtual team trivia nights and other virtual social hour gatherings.  
  • Physically distanced Chief Runs and Hikes have started during the pandemic and we continue to build other physically distanced and safe events to help create a strong residency family.
  • We started our yearly Resident Talent Show in 2019.  We now do this as a yearly event and is a great way to show off our very talented resident group!

Wellness App:

To help bring everything together in one place and ensure that all residents are aware of the resources and events, we have also built a Wellness App, which acts as a hub of knowledge to share all that is available.