Curriculum

Inpatient Medicine

University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) internal medicine ward teams consist of an attending physician, 1 supervising residents, 2 interns and a variable number of students. Interns care for an average of 8 - 10 patients, learning both basic bedside management and evidence-based literature as it applies to their patients. Ward rotations are at either Renown Regional Medical Center (RRMC) or the Ioannis Lougaris Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center. Ward teams at RMC work with their own attending physician who has primary responsibility for all patients on that service. Attending physicians conduct work and teaching rounds daily.

Intensive care rotations are conducted in closed units at either RRMC or the VA. Intensive care teams at the VA are comprised of a supervising senior resident, 2 interns, students, and an attending pulmonary-critical care specialist. Intensive care teams at RRMC are comprised of one 3rd year and one 2nd year resident. They work with private Critical Care specialists as attendings. Residents are responsible for performing invasive procedures on their patients, under appropriate supervision.

Ambulatory Medicine

Approximately 45% of the overall training experience is spent in ambulatory settings as a part of University Health System (UHS); the percentage increases with each subsequent training year. Outpatient resident continuity clinic is held primarily at University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine Resident Clinic. This site is attached to Renown Regional Medical Center. At their continuity clinics, residents provide primary care, acquiring experience in long-term ambulatory and group practice. Additional rotations emphasize outpatient management of various subspecialty problems.

Available outpatient electives include gynecology, sports medicine, dermatology, pediatrics, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, and neurology, in addition to the full range of internal medicine subspecialties.

Didactics

Daily didactic sessions include morning report and noon conference which provide formal, evidence-based lectures covering the entire internal medicine curriculum over a 3 year cycle. During the first part of each year topics are directed towards the timely diagnosis and treatment of various medical emergencies, and Advanced Cardiac Life Support instruction is offered to and certification is required of each resident. Additional didactics are offered in the form of Journal Club, Morbidity and Mortality Rounds and Board Review sessions. Faculty also offer formal lectures as part of their teaching rounds.

Research

All categorical residents must participate in a research/scholarly activity prior to graduation. Residents have presented at The American Federation for Medical Research Western Regional meeting, the Bierkamper Research Forum, ACP regional and national meetings, and international conferences. Financial support and administrative leave are provided to residents presenting at research or clinical meetings.

Practice Management

Practice management seminars are offered in conjunction with the Department of Family & Community Medicine, covering such topics as practice planning & management, contract negotiation, marketing, and medical informatics. Speakers include chief financial officers and health care consultants from local hospitals and practices, as well as physicians in various types of practices. Participation in these seminars by internal medicine residents is not mandatory but is strongly encouraged, and the feedback from participating residents has been consistently positive.

Sample Schedule

Current resident schedule

Available Electives:

Core Electives

• Ambulatory Clinic
• Cardiology
• Emergency medicine
• Endocrinology
• Gastroenterology and Hepatology
• Geriatrics
• Hematology and Oncology
• Infectious Diseases
• Neurology
• Nephrology
• Pulmonology
• Research Block
• Rheumatology
• Rural Medicine Block in Elko

Non-Core Electives

• Allergy
• Anesthesiology
• Dermatology
• Hospice and palliative Care Medicine
• Pathology
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Radiology
• Sports Medicine
• Quality Improvement Rotation