Overview
Thank you for considering our program. Cleveland Clinic’s Internal Medicine Residency Program in Florida’s goal is to provide uniformly excellent educational opportunities to all our trainees in a supportive yet challenging environment. We offer 13 categorical positions per year and 8 preliminary positions (2-4 positions reserved for neurology preliminary trainees, accepted through the neurology department) for a total number of 47 residents. We are not your typical “community training program.” We serve a diverse population of patients from central and south Florida, South America, and the Caribbean. Our colleagues here perform heart, liver, and kidney transplants, and advanced endoscopic and interventional bronchoscopic procedures, so we manage very sick patients. Our graduates are well-prepared to enter practice and/or fellowship training upon completion of our program.
We are part of a much larger system of graduate medical education and healthcare with locations in Ohio, Nevada, Canada, Abu Dhabi, London, and Florida. The Cleveland Clinic’s goal is to be the best place to receive care anywhere and be the best place to work in healthcare. Everywhere there is a Cleveland Clinic, we work as a team of teams, guided by our values and care priorities. Cleveland Clinic was founded in 1921 on three main principles:
- To provide better care of the sick
- Investigation into their problems, and
- Education of those who serve
The clinic’s mission statement was recently updated: Caring for life, researching for health, and educating those who serve, and it is still organized around these three principles:
- A lifetime of patient care. The work we do extends beyond treating complex illness. We also strive to be lifelong partners to patients and keep them healthy.
- Research that advances health. We will continue to discover the treatments of tomorrow and innovate better ways to care for patients.
- Education rooted in service. Healthcare is the noblest profession. We educate future caregivers to fulfill our mission and do good for our global communities.
Values define who we are; they’re essential to our culture. By living our values every day, in every interaction, we ensure the best possible care and service for all.
Quality & Safety: We ensure the highest standards and excellent outcomes through effective interactions, decision-making, and actions.
Empathy: We imagine what another person is going through, work to alleviate suffering, and create joy whenever possible.
Teamwork: We work together to ensure the best possible care, safety, and well-being of our patients and fellow caregivers.
Inclusion: We intentionally create an environment of compassionate belonging where all are valued and respected.
Innovation: We drive small and large changes to transform healthcare everywhere.
Our goals for the Cleveland Clinic in Florida Internal Medicine residency program are:
- To provide residents with the skills required to generate a comprehensive diagnostic and management strategy for all medical problems within the broad scope of general internal medicine.
- To promote the delivery of healthcare in a caring, compassionate, professional, and patient-centered manner.
- To facilitate and foster the personal career development of each resident physician in the program.
- To foster the development of essential intellectual attributes which will facilitate growth and maturation throughout the graduates' careers through lifelong learning.
Categorical Program
Every resident in the Cleveland Clinic in Florida program plays an integral role in daily patient care. Under the supervision of our world-renowned physicians, they diagnose and treat most patients that present to our facility.
Our year is divided into 26 modules. Our modules are 2 - 4 weeks in length. We work in a 6+2 block schedule where the + 2 is the ambulatory block. Noting our impending growth, the sample three-year plan for academic year 24-25 is noted below. This will evolve over the next 3 years as each class grows to 13 categorical.
| Name of Rotation | Modules | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| PGY-1 (13 residents) | PGY-2 (9 residents) | PGY-3 (9 residents) | |
| Inpatient Internal Medicine | 14 | 10-12 | 6 |
| Intensive Care Unit (days + nights) | 8 | 6-8 | 8-10 |
| Ambulatory Internal Medicine | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Selective*/Elective** | 7 | 10 | 12 |
| Night Float/Swing | 8 | 6-8 | 4 |
| Consults | 2 | 2 | |
| Research (from elective time) | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Emergency Department | 1 |
Continuity Clinic
The +2 ambulatory block allows for ongoing care in both our primary care clinic as well as in our specialty clinics. We encourage residents to build their patient panels starting in their intern year. Residents follow their patients through completion of their residency. This provides exposure to long-term care issues that are only encountered in the ambulatory setting.
Preliminary Program
Every resident in the Cleveland Clinic in Florida program plays an integral role in daily patient care. Under the supervision of our world-renowned physicians, they diagnose and treat most patients that present to our facility.
Our year is divided into 26 modules. Our modules are 2 - 4 weeks in length. A sample preliminary plan for academic year 24-25 is noted below:
| Name of Rotation | Weeks |
|---|---|
| Inpatient Internal Medicine | 18 |
| Intensive Care Unit | 8 |
| Electives** | 12 |
| Night Float/Swing | 8 |
| Day Float | 4 |
*Selectives
These experiences must be completed during the 3 years of training. They Include: Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Nephrology, Endocrinology, Pulmonary, Neurology, Geriatrics, Infectious Disease, Hematology/Oncology, Palliative Care/Hospice, Addiction Medicine, and Emergency Medicine.
**Electives
These rotations are not mandatory and may be chosen to suit the resident’s individual interests and needs. They include Allergy & Immunology, Women’s Health, Dermatology, Anesthesia, Radiology, Rheumatology, Vascular Medicine, Transplant Nephrology and Hepatology, and Hospital Medicine. Ophthalmology, ENT, and Psychiatry are available with our community partners.
Call Frequency
Inpatient Internal Medicine teams take admissions every 4th day until 7pm. There is no overnight call. Two ICU Day teams alternate coverage until 4 pm and 6 pm every other day. We utilize a night float system for both the inpatient service and the ICU. Every resident will have at least 1 day a week off, averaged over 4 weeks. There is no call or cross coverage during elective/selective or ambulatory rotations for all residents.
Continuity Clinic
The +2 ambulatory block allows for ongoing care in both our primary care clinic as well as in our specialty clinics. We encourage residents to build their patient panels starting in their intern year. Residents follow their patients through completion of their residency. This provides exposure to long-term care issues that are only encountered in the ambulatory setting.
Didactic Curriculum
Our program prides itself on our clinical diversity and acuity as well as our extensive didactic education. We deliver a wide variety of conferences and board review opportunities.
Noon Conference
These conferences cover a broad range of topics and include our core curriculum, procedural course, and pertinent internal medicine topics from the perspective of our diverse specialty faculty and fellows. Grand Rounds are held weekly during our noon conference.
Teaching Rounds
Our version of morning report occurs 3x weekly. The main emphases of these conferences are clinical signs interpretation, differential diagnosis, and management. Cases include attempts to “stump our Master”, during which we present cases to our emeritus program director and learn as he works through his diagnostic reasoning; classic morning report discussions about work-up and management of a new admission; and cases encountered primarily in the outpatient setting in which we role play difficult conversations in a safe environment.
Simulation Curriculum
The Harry T. Mangurian Jr. Simulation Center at Cleveland Clinic in Florida provides an exceptional setting for our ever-evolving simulation curriculum. There is a skills lab to practice the technical skills needed to insert central venous catheters and arterial lines, and to perform lumbar punctures, thoracenteses, and paracenteses. There is a fully functional mock-up hospital room that houses 2 SimMan 3G patients, and a fully functional simulated operating room. These settings provide opportunities to practice various patient situations including mock codes, rapid responses, difficult conversations, and diagnostic interviews.
Visits to the sim center take place during the ambulatory block, or during teaching rounds. The environment provides an excellent opportunity for our junior learners to practice basic skills, and for our more senior learners to practice more advanced skills, as well as, to practice providing feedback and education to our junior learners, all while being directly supervised by our faculty.
POCUS Curriculum
Led by one of our interventional pulmonologists, residents attend sessions during their ambulatory block. Every resident has 24/7 access to handheld Butterfly ultrasound devices and our MICU has additional ultrasound machines.
Research Conference
Several of our core faculty provide both group lectures and individual mentoring to help develop our research skills and opportunities. Every graduating PGY-3 resident is required to present a scholarly activity by presenting a Medical Grand Rounds or participating in the clinic’s Research Week.
Board Review
This is an optional conference led by our Emeritus Program Director. This MKSAP reading and question session is an excellent resource for ABIM exam preparation. These conferences are held daily at 7am.
In addition, each spring, we host the Cleveland Clinic in Florida Board Review Course, currently in its 15th year. This is a 5-day comprehensive review course. Our 3rd year residents are required to attend.
Other Conferences
Journal Clubs are held monthly. Residents discuss and debate timely journal articles and their implications to our patients. Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) cases are presented by third year residents. Our intensive care colleagues join us twice monthly for ICU teaching rounds and for ICU M&M discussions.
Educational Resources
All residents receive the MKSAP Board Review course material during their intern year, ACP Board Review, and the Decker curriculum and question bank. Residents also have in-person and online access to the Goldblatt Medical Library, 24 hours a day. All the computers at Cleveland Clinic in Florida, as well as the provided iPhone, have internet access which allows access to UpToDate, MDConsult, Access Medicine, PubMed, etc., as well as a variety of full text resources.
Board Pass Rate
Our residents at Cleveland Clinic in Florida have proven to be among the best physicians in the country. Our overall ABIM exam-passing rate is 100% for the last 10 years, and our residents consistently score in the top 80% nationally on the ACP In-Training Exam.
Applications
"While we preferentially review applications from those who signal our program, we also consider applicants who do not signal us, particularly those who have indicated a geographic preference for the Southeast, and particularly Florida."
All applications are processed through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). We consider applicants with USMLE scores of 220 and above or COMLEX scores of 550 and above. All applicants are encouraged to rotate in our facility, either in internal medicine or in a medicine subspecialty.
We participate in the National Residency Matching Program, and we do not accept any applicants outside of the Match. We offer the Categorical Internal Medicine, Preliminary Medicine, and Neurology Preliminary Training Programs:
Cleveland Clinic in Florida Internal Medicine – Categorical
NRMP # 1383140C0 ACGME ID # 1401121528 (13 Positions)
Cleveland Clinic in Florida Internal Medicine – Preliminary
NRMP # 1383140P1 ACGME ID # 1401121528 (4-6 Positions)
Cleveland Clinic in Florida - Neurology Preliminary
NRMP # 1383140P0 - ACGME ID # (2-4 Positions)
We strongly encourage applicants interested in internal medicine training to apply to our programs and learn their unique features through the interview process.
Our categorical residency program provides outstanding clinical training and academic opportunities for physicians interested in a career in internal medicine, whether it is as a practicing or academic General Internist/hospitalist/PCP or a fellowship candidate. Our preliminary program will provide you with an exceptional foundation upon which you’ll be ready to pursue your specialty training.
To learn the unique features of our program, applicants selected for interviews will participate virtually for the 2024-2025 Match cycle.
Application Requirements
Applications will only be accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). We do not accept applications via FAX, email, or postal services.
- ERAS Common Application Form
- Curriculum Vitae
- Dean’s Letter (MSPE)
- A minimum of three (3) Letters of Recommendation
- Personal Statement
- Medical School Transcripts
- USMLE Transcripts and/or COMLEX Transcripts
- IM Department letter is optional
Osteopathic Medicine Graduates
Applicants from AOA-approved osteopathic medical schools are encouraged to apply. Any resident selected will be allowed to fulfill AOA requirements for licensure.
IMG Applicant Requirements
A minimum of 6 months of hands-on direct clinical experience in a US or Canadian accredited teaching hospital is required. We will not interview candidates who have not obtained this required clinical experience. Observerships, without direct clinical responsibility, do not meet these criteria.
- To be considered for a position in our program, applicants from medical schools located outside the US and Canada MUST have graduated from medical school in the last 5 years.
- Passed USMLE Step I & II Knowledge tests on the first attempt.
- USMLE Step 3 is not required to apply.
- Fluent in spoken and written English.
- You must be eligible for an ECFMG Certificate to apply. We require that you submit your ECFMG eligibility through ERAS before February 1. We are required to have an ECFMG certificate on file for every IMG intern who matches into our training program.
Visas:
- All matched applicants must obtain a valid employment visa prior to intern orientation, typically the last two weeks of June.
- Please contact the GME office for further information regarding visas.
Application Review and Interview Selection Procedures
- We only accept application materials through ERAS (see application requirements).
- Mid-October is the application deadline. We strongly encourage applicants to submit their applications ASAP due to the number of available interview slots.
- Invitations to interview are sent via Thalamus, the same platform used for interviewing.
- Interviews will be done virtually and will take place from October through February.
- If invited to interview, and you accept our invitation within 2 weeks, we guarantee an interview appointment. We cannot guarantee an interview slot if you accept the invitation after the 2-week deadline.
- We will be unable to interview applicants without an interview appointment.
General Information About ERAS
If you are graduating or have graduated from a U.S. medical school, you must contact your medical school's student affairs office or other designated dean’s office. Your dean’s office will provide you with the information and the software for ERAS. If you are graduating or have graduated from a Canadian medical school, please contact the Canadian Resident Matching Service, phone 613.237.0075, for ERAS processing information, or write to:
Canadian Resident Matching Service
151 Slater Street, Suite 802
Ottawa, Ontario, K1P-5H3
Canada
If you are graduating or have graduated from an International medical school, you must contact the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) for application materials and eligibility requirement. Write to:
ECFMG-ERAS Program
P.O. Box 13467
Philadelphia PA 19104-3467
U.S.A.
Contact
Safiya Deen
Sr. GME Coordinator
deens@ccf.org
954-659-5859
Michelle Obando
Sr. Office Coordinator
obandom@ccf.org
954-659-6161
Location
All of our interviews will be done virtually for the 2024–2025 application cycle. For those who have never rotated in our facility, once our rank-order list is complete, but before yours is due, we will host an open house so that you may meet our team in person and see our wonderful facility.
Benefits
Benefits information including salaries, insurance information and more, can be found by visiting the Graduate Medical Education Benefits page.
Our Team
Leadership Team
Darby Sider, MD, MEd, FACP, FAAP
Program Director
Kristen Hagar, MD, FACP
Associate Program Director
Population Health Patient Experience Officer
Shari Robins, MD
Associate Program Director
Jared Piotrkowski, MD
Associate Program Director
Lead Hospitalist
Jose Muniz, MD, MACP
Emeritus Program Director
Core Faculty
Yehuda Galili, MD
Hematology/ Oncology Medicine
Kevin Perry, MD
Hospital Medicine
Asad Ur Rahman, MD
Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
Ivan Romero-Legro, MD
Pulmonary and Critical Care
David Snipelisky, MD
Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology
Hospital Medicine
Safiya Deen
Sr. GME Coordinator
Phone: 954-659-5859
Email: deens@ccf.org
Michelle Obando
Sr. Office Coordinator
Phone: 954-659-6161
Email: obandom@ccf.org
Alumni
Recent Alumni post-graduation pursuits
Staff Alumni
Internal Medicine graduates that are part of the Internal Medicine residency team.
| Jodi-Ann Chin, MD | Hospital Medicine |
| Schella Derosier, MD | Hospital Medicine |
| Linda Godinez, MD | Hospital Medicine |
| Enma Poveda, MD | Hospital Medicine |
| F. Scott Ross, MD | Cleveland Clinic Weston Vice President & Chief Medical Officer |
| Monica Segura, MD | Hospital Medicine |
| Kristen Selema, DO | Hospital Medicine |
| Melissa Woo, MD | Hospital Medicine |
| 2024 | Institution | Program/Specialty |
|---|---|---|
| Maher Balkis, MD | Chen Medical | Primary Care |
| Heeransh Dave, MD | Grand Strand Medical Center | Hospitalist |
| Milad Heydari-Kamjani, DO | University Hospital Cleveland | Rheumatology Fellowship |
| Radhika Khanna Neicheril, MD | Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital | Cardiology Fellowship |
| Javier Rios, MD | University of Utah | Rheumatology Fellowship |
| Lewjain Sakr, MD | Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital | PCCM Fellowship |
| Kaila Schultz, MD | Travel MD | Internal Medicine |
| Shruti Shettigar, MD | University of Florida | Nephrology Fellowship |
| Britney Smith, MD | Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital | Chief Resident |
| 2023 | Institution | Program/Specialty |
|---|---|---|
| Sadaf Afraz, DO | University of Florida Jacksonville | Academic Hospitalist |
| Akhil Khan, MD | Kaiser Permanente | Primary Care |
| Shayan Mahapatra, MD | Aiken Regional Medical Center | Hospitalist |
| Jose Rivera, MD | Baylor University Medical Center | PCCM Fellowship |
| Monica Segura, MD | Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital | Academic Hospitalist |
| Amy Van, MD | Baylor Scott & White | PCCM Fellowship |
| Denisse Viamonte, MD | Baptist Health | Hospitalist |
| Yim June Yunjoo, MD | Cleveland Clinic Florida Weston Hospital; Cleveland Clinic Indian River | Primary Care |
| 2022 | Institution | Program/Specialty |
|---|---|---|
| Mileydis Alonso, DO | Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital | Cardiology Fellowship |
| Christopher Bodden, MD | SUNY Buffalo | Academic Hospitalist |
| Andrea Calderon, MD | Cleveland Clinic Ohio | Infectious Disease Fellowship |
| Chinwe Anekwe, MD | Westchester Medical Center | Infectious Disease Fellowship |
| Christina Girard, MD | Cleveland Clinic Ohio | PCCM Fellowship |
| Sikandar Khan, MD | Naples Community Hospital; Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital | Chief Resident; PCCM Fellowship |
| Allen Laviña, MD | Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital; Oregon Health & Science Univ. | Chief Resident; Critical Care Fellowship |
| Rafael Miret, DO | Aventura Hospital | PCCM Fellowship |
| Gilda Portalatin, MD | Vanderbilt University | Nephrology Fellowship |
| Amir Riaz, MD | Larkin Hospital | Gastroenterology Fellowship |
| 2021 | Institution | Program/Specialty |
|---|---|---|
| Astrid Carrion Rodriguez, MD | Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital; UCLA; UC-Irvine | Chief Resident; Sleep Fellowship; PCCM Fellowship |
| Avery Carter, MD | Baylor Scott & White | Cardiology Fellowship |
| Antonio Lewis, MD | Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital | Cardiology Fellowship |
| Schella Derosier, MD | Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital | Academic Hospitalist |
| Jerry Dev, MD | Health First Cape Canaveral Hospital | Hospitalist |
| Miquel Gonzalez, MD | Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital | PCCM Fellowship |
| Rajaganesh Raj, MD | Orlando Health | PCCM Fellowship |
| Yelenis Seijo, MD | Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital | Cardiology Fellowship |
| Morvarid Zandiyeh, MD | University of Miami; Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center | Geriatric Fellowship Hospitalist |
FAQ's
What is the application deadline?
October 21 is our application deadline. We strongly encourage applicants to submit their applications by early October because our interview days fill very quickly.
When do you notify applicants if they will be invited for an interview?
We review complete applications as received via ERAS on a rolling basis and will notify applicants of interview offers as the applications are reviewed.
When do you begin reviewing applications?
ERAS opens October 21, and our Selection Committee will begin reviewing applications at that time. We will begin inviting applicants for interviews (via email) through November.
How do you handle signaling?
While we preferentially review applications from those who signal our program, we also consider applicants who do not signal us, particularly those who have indicated a geographic preference for the Southeast, and particularly Florida. Whether you rotated here or not, we suggest you signal us if we are one of your top programs.
Do you waitlist invited applicants for the interview days that are filled?
Yes, we will waitlist.
I have scheduled to interview for a PGY 2 positions with another department at Cleveland Clinic in Florida. Can I interview for my preliminary internal medicine internship on the same day?
We DO NOT interview the preliminary candidates for the Neurology Residency Program. This is done by the Department of Neurology.
Should I apply to both the Preliminary and Categorical Programs?
It is preferred that an applicant applies to EITHER a preliminary position OR a categorical position, not to both.
Is there a medical school graduation cutoff date?
In order to be considered for a position in our program, we prefer that applicants have graduated from medical school no longer than 5 years from the date of application.
Is there a minimum USMLE Step 1 score?
Applicants must pass USMLE Step 1 on the first attempt. However, we do not specifically exclude applicants based on the USMLE exam as we carefully consider the entire application and encourage all interested students to submit applications to our residency programs.
Is there a minimum USMLE Step 2 CK score?
Applicants must pass USMLE Step 2 CK on the first attempt. Most of our applicants have USMLE scores of 240 or higher. However, we do not specifically exclude applicants based on the USMLE score as we carefully consider the entire application and encourage all interested students to submit applications to our residency programs.
Do I have to take USMLE Step 3?
USMLE Step 3 is not required to apply, it is required to be completed by December of your PGY-2 year.
Do I have to submit both Step 1 and Step 2 before you consider my application for interview?
Yes, we need Step 1 and Step 2 CK prior to consideration for an interview.
What are the minimum COMLEX score requirements for graduates of Osteopathic Medical Schools?
Applicants must pass COMLEX step 1 and step 2 on the first attempt. Most of our applicants have COMLEX scores in the top 20th percentile or three digit score of 550+.
Is US Clinical experience required for IMG’s?
Yes, a minimum of 6 months of hands-on direct clinical experience in a US or Canadian accredited teaching hospital is required. We will not interview candidates who have not obtained this required clinical experience. An Observership without direct clinical responsibility does not meet these criteria.
Visas
Do you sponsor H1-b Visas?
Matched applicants will be advised as to which visa; they are eligible for by the Graduate Medical Education Department. The GME office will notify you with the necessary paperwork.
Do you require an ECFMG certificate when I apply to your training program?
You must be eligible for an ECFMG Certificate to apply. We require that you submit your ECFMG certificate through ERAS BEFORE February 1. We are required to have an ECFMG certificate on file for every IMG intern who matches with our training program.
How many total residents in your training programs?
We have 1 Internal Medicine Residency Training Program. During the 25-26 academic year we will have a total of 43 interns and residents.
- Internal Medicine Residency: 13 categorical residents per year
- Internal Medicine Preliminary: 4 - 6 interns
- Internal Medicine Preliminary - Neurology: 2 - 4 interns
Contact Information
If you have questions about the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program, please contact:
Safiya Deen
Sr. GME Coordinator
Phone: 954-659-5884
Email: deens@ccf.org
Michelle Obando
Sr. Office Coordinator
Phone: 954-659-6161
Email: obandom@ccf.org
Program Wellness
We have had the wonderful support of Robert and Lila Tickman, who have generously donated to a wellness fund for our program. This allows us to host monthly activities to promote wellness and resiliency amongst our residents. Activities to date have included yoga, guided meditation, ice cream socials, pizza parties, team building sessions and trips to the beach and local sporting events. These are great opportunities to unwind from work and get to know everyone in the program.
We have monthly house-staff meetings to share questions, kudos, concerns, and updates.
We celebrate birthdays and important life events monthly.
Each class meets monthly with our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) director for a reflection hour.
Graduation Ceremony & Senior Resident Dinner
The successful completion of Internal Medicine residency training is an accomplishment worthy of celebration. Each June, residents, their guests and staff gather for an evening to acknowledge this milestone. Highlights of the festivities include a look ahead at the future plans of graduates as they receive their training.
Welcome Evening for New Interns
As part of orientation for new interns, we host an evening event to provide an informal opportunity for the “freshman” class and their families to get to know one another. Senior residents, and staff who act as advisors for the program’s residents also attend.
Wellness Luncheon
The program sponsors a monthly weekday luncheon for the residents to unwind without any academic activities. We play games and work on art projects. It’s a great time get to know each other.
Appreciation
GME hosts a weeklong housestaff appreciation celebration of our training programs for all programs at Cleveland Clinic.
Social Events
GME hosts a weeklong celebration of our training programs for all programs in Cleveland Clinic and this is so much fun to attend and participate.
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Internal Medicine Residency Program
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Internal Medicine Residency Program
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