1. What is the academic structure of the hospital?
Advocate Christ Medical Center has multiple in-house residency programs including Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, General Surgery and Podiatry. We also have outside rotating residents from Chicagoland programs in OBGYN, Orthopedic Surgery and Urology. Residents have the opportunity to teach medical students and interact with fellows from the University of Illinois, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/Chicago Medical School, and Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine/Midwestern University.
2. What is the call schedule?
There is no 24 hour call on all rotations for all residents! A normal day on medical floors starts at 6:30am and ends at 3pm. Interns admit daily and stay until 6:30pm on long call days (every fourth day). Following long call day, there is a no admit day. The night float team on floors includes an intern and senior from 6:30pm to 6:30am.
3. What is the “cap” on the number of admissions?
A PGY-1 cannot receive more than 5 new patients on her/his admit day.
4. How many patients will I be responsible for?
This number can be quite variable, but on average a PGY-1 is responsible for 6-8 patients. The maximum number of patients that a PGY-1 can be responsible for at any given time is 10.
5. How much “scut” work will I have to do?
We have ample ancillary services such as phlebotomy, transporters, EKG and radiology technicians, and social work, which makes “scut” work minimal.
6. How many days off will I have?
Each housestaff member has a minimum of 4 days off per 4 week rotation. Residents can also be granted time off for educational activities, conferences, etc. In addition, all interns and residents are guaranteed 4 weeks of paid vacation each academic year.
7. How many electives will I have?
In the first year, you will have about 12-16 weeks of elective. During the second and third year, you will have about 12-18 weeks of electives.
8. Do you support an outside elective?
Yes. Residents may request to do an elective within the Advocate system or at other University programs with prior approval from the program.
9. What is the patient population?
ACMC serves as a tertiary and quaternary referral center while providing care for the surrounding community. Given this, there is a wide and unique spectrum of patients and diseases unparalleled by any hospital in the Chicago area. Our patients’ medical problems range from more common “bread and butter” general medical problems to complex specialty problems.
10. Are all patients admitted to the hospital a part of the “teaching service”?
The hospital has a large patient volume, thus residents do not provide coverage for all admitted patients.
11. How is the teaching organized? What is the conference schedule?
Residents attend teaching rounds, noon report, and other conferences. Teaching rounds are held daily for 2-3 hours. Our education consists of Intern and Senior Morning Report, Attending Case Conference, and Board Review that are held weekly. Core Medicine Lecture Series, Primary Care Conference, and Sub-specialty Conferences are incorporated into the daily noon conferences. The evidence-based medicine series (Attack the Literature) and Journal Club take place twice a month. Grand Rounds occur monthly.
12. How much of my training will be in the ambulatory setting?
Overall, approximately one-third of your time will be in the ambulatory setting. This includes a 3-year continuity experience in the Adult Medicine Center, outpatient rotations, and outpatient experience during selected specialty rotations. There is also an ambulatory rotation available to residents that allows them to focus on practice guidelines and performance improvement.
13. Will I have an opportunity to do scholarly activity or research?
We recognize the important role of research in the career goals of many of our residents and support research activities with time and resources. The Office of Clinical Research provides organizational, financial and statistical support for resident research activities. Physicians from a wide variety of sub-specialties mentor our residents to present their projects at local and national conferences. Residents can also do a dedicated research rotation mentored by a faculty member, both as PGY-2 and PGY-3.
14. Do you offer individualized resident training or pathways?
As of the 2023-2024 academic year, the Quality Improvement, Research, and Point of Care Ultrasound Pathways have been incorporated into our educational curriculum.
15. Is regular feedback provided to the housestaff?
Yes. Each resident is assigned an advisor who meets with the resident monthly to review her/his performance evaluations. In addition, the service attending provides feedback regularly regarding the performance of the team members. There is a 360-degree evaluation system in place on all rotations.
16. Is there a formal Board Review Course?
Yes. There is a Board Review series that covers all core Internal Medicine topics that occurs annually. This board review occurs at the end of the year before the third-year class is preparing to take their ABIM Board Exam. We also have weekly board review for all Residents throughout the year.
17. What do the graduates of the program do after completing with their training?
In past years, approximately half the residents remained in general Internal Medicine as hospitalists and primary care physicians and the other half pursued fellowship training.
18. Where do the housestaff generally live?
Although residents may live anywhere in the Chicagoland area, most choose to live in downtown Chicago or the western suburbs. Oak Lawn also offers affordable housing that is conveniently located near the hospital.
19. How many residents are in the program?
There are typically a total of 66 residents in our program.
Advocate Christ Medical Center has multiple in-house residency programs including Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, General Surgery and Podiatry. We also have outside rotating residents from Chicagoland programs in OBGYN, Orthopedic Surgery and Urology. Residents have the opportunity to teach medical students and interact with fellows from the University of Illinois, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/Chicago Medical School, and Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine/Midwestern University.
2. What is the call schedule?
There is no 24 hour call on all rotations for all residents! A normal day on medical floors starts at 6:30am and ends at 3pm. Interns admit daily and stay until 6:30pm on long call days (every fourth day). Following long call day, there is a no admit day. The night float team on floors includes an intern and senior from 6:30pm to 6:30am.
3. What is the “cap” on the number of admissions?
A PGY-1 cannot receive more than 5 new patients on her/his admit day.
4. How many patients will I be responsible for?
This number can be quite variable, but on average a PGY-1 is responsible for 6-8 patients. The maximum number of patients that a PGY-1 can be responsible for at any given time is 10.
5. How much “scut” work will I have to do?
We have ample ancillary services such as phlebotomy, transporters, EKG and radiology technicians, and social work, which makes “scut” work minimal.
6. How many days off will I have?
Each housestaff member has a minimum of 4 days off per 4 week rotation. Residents can also be granted time off for educational activities, conferences, etc. In addition, all interns and residents are guaranteed 4 weeks of paid vacation each academic year.
7. How many electives will I have?
In the first year, you will have about 12-16 weeks of elective. During the second and third year, you will have about 12-18 weeks of electives.
8. Do you support an outside elective?
Yes. Residents may request to do an elective within the Advocate system or at other University programs with prior approval from the program.
9. What is the patient population?
ACMC serves as a tertiary and quaternary referral center while providing care for the surrounding community. Given this, there is a wide and unique spectrum of patients and diseases unparalleled by any hospital in the Chicago area. Our patients’ medical problems range from more common “bread and butter” general medical problems to complex specialty problems.
10. Are all patients admitted to the hospital a part of the “teaching service”?
The hospital has a large patient volume, thus residents do not provide coverage for all admitted patients.
11. How is the teaching organized? What is the conference schedule?
Residents attend teaching rounds, noon report, and other conferences. Teaching rounds are held daily for 2-3 hours. Our education consists of Intern and Senior Morning Report, Attending Case Conference, and Board Review that are held weekly. Core Medicine Lecture Series, Primary Care Conference, and Sub-specialty Conferences are incorporated into the daily noon conferences. The evidence-based medicine series (Attack the Literature) and Journal Club take place twice a month. Grand Rounds occur monthly.
12. How much of my training will be in the ambulatory setting?
Overall, approximately one-third of your time will be in the ambulatory setting. This includes a 3-year continuity experience in the Adult Medicine Center, outpatient rotations, and outpatient experience during selected specialty rotations. There is also an ambulatory rotation available to residents that allows them to focus on practice guidelines and performance improvement.
13. Will I have an opportunity to do scholarly activity or research?
We recognize the important role of research in the career goals of many of our residents and support research activities with time and resources. The Office of Clinical Research provides organizational, financial and statistical support for resident research activities. Physicians from a wide variety of sub-specialties mentor our residents to present their projects at local and national conferences. Residents can also do a dedicated research rotation mentored by a faculty member, both as PGY-2 and PGY-3.
14. Do you offer individualized resident training or pathways?
As of the 2023-2024 academic year, the Quality Improvement, Research, and Point of Care Ultrasound Pathways have been incorporated into our educational curriculum.
15. Is regular feedback provided to the housestaff?
Yes. Each resident is assigned an advisor who meets with the resident monthly to review her/his performance evaluations. In addition, the service attending provides feedback regularly regarding the performance of the team members. There is a 360-degree evaluation system in place on all rotations.
16. Is there a formal Board Review Course?
Yes. There is a Board Review series that covers all core Internal Medicine topics that occurs annually. This board review occurs at the end of the year before the third-year class is preparing to take their ABIM Board Exam. We also have weekly board review for all Residents throughout the year.
17. What do the graduates of the program do after completing with their training?
In past years, approximately half the residents remained in general Internal Medicine as hospitalists and primary care physicians and the other half pursued fellowship training.
18. Where do the housestaff generally live?
Although residents may live anywhere in the Chicagoland area, most choose to live in downtown Chicago or the western suburbs. Oak Lawn also offers affordable housing that is conveniently located near the hospital.
19. How many residents are in the program?
There are typically a total of 66 residents in our program.