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All of our Internal Medicine Residency training programs share the same general goals:
- To ensure that graduates have the highest level of competency in medical care
- To provide meaningful educational experiences
- To promote personal as well as professional development
Upon completing their residencies, trainees in all three- or four-year programs are board-eligible in Internal Medicine. Each program has a separate application/interviewing process and match number.
Educational Programs
We offer the following residency programs:
- Categorical Internal Medicine Residency – Our largest residency program provides a solid grounding in both inpatient and outpatient medicine. Residents acquire the fundamental skills for subspecialty fellowship training or for practice in General Internal Medicine.
- Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency – A three year joint Cook County Hospital-Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center program, this nationally acclaimed program emphasizes ambulatory skills development in community, preventive, and behavioral medicine, without sacrificing solid inpatient training.
- Dermatology - This residency program provides outstanding clinical training in Dermatology. Our program is fully accredited for three years of post-graduate medical education leading to eligibility for certification by the American Board of Dermatology.
Why Train at a Public Hospital Today?
Practicing Real Life Medicine. Caring for patients in need, regardless of ability to pay, has been the tradition of Cook County Hospital (CCH) for more than a century. With over 450 beds and nearly 100 outpatient clinics, CCH is the primary public provider of comprehensive medical services for the people of metropolitan Chicago.
CCH is also home to a wide array of residency and fellowship programs and a pioneer of important medical and surgical techniques, with noted advances in the treatment of trauma and burn victims. At CCH, resident and attending physicians work together to meet the needs of the area's multiethnic population.
The challenge of providing care to those most in need and the opportunity to work closely with others dedicated to this goal make residency training at Cook County Hospital a uniquely satisfying experience.
John H Stroger Hospital of Cook County, a new state-of-the art hospital facility, opened its doors in December 2002. All inpatient areas and subspecialty outpatient clinics are located in the new hospital. In addition, many other improvements in ancillary services have accompanied this move including digitized radiology, new hospital software and tube-based messenger services. Internal medicine housestaff are practicing in a modern facility but managing the same, fascinating mix of patient problems.
What Distinguishes Cook County Internal Medicine Training?
Instruction by a full-time attending physician staff. More than 100 Department of Medicine teaching attendings in 13 subspecialties supervise residents in General Medicine, as do the more than 35 attendings in the Division of General Medicine, Primary Care.
A balance between autonomy and supervision. Because we have no private patients, both the resident and attending participate in patient management. Supervised ward rounds are held daily with the attending physician. Teaching sessions are held frequently and complement a well-organized seminar schedule including morning report, case conferences, board reviews, and special topics. House officers collaborate closely with this dedicated teaching faculty to perform work-ups with a high degree of autonomy not usually afforded those training in institutions with primarily private attending staff.
Residents diagnose and treat both common and rare diseases. Patients at Cook County present a wide spectrum of diseases. Because illness is often severe, our residents develop tremendous skill and confidence in handling extremely sick patients.
Residents develop and follow their own practice. Most inpatients are discharged to the resident's own outpatient clinic, ensuring continuity of care. Our residents gain experience managing both acute and long-term problems.
No matter where you choose to practice, the expert supervision and diverse educational experiences that make up residency training at Cook County Hospital will prepare you for a strong future in medicine. By the end of your training you will have treated an extensive array of diseases, performed a wide variety of procedures, and managed many complicated cases. A support team of primary care and specialty physicians will prepare you to care for patients with the most challenging clinical problems. To master ambulatory continuity care, you will follow your own panel of patients in a clinic-based outpatient practice over the three years of your training.
Exceptional Benefits of the Cook County Hospital
Internal Medicine Residency Programs
House Staff Association. Cook County Hospital was among the first to have an organized House Staff Association. It serves as a model for programs throughout the United States. The House Staff Association, which represents over 400 interns and residents, assures competitive salaries, four weeks vacation, maternity/paternity leave, free meals, a yearly educational stipend for conferences and books, and more. Health club access is available nearby for a nominal fee.
Call Schedule. During inpatient ward rotations, the call is no more than every fourth day at each hospital. Currently, interns take no night call on general medicine ward rotations. Members of the house staff have one guaranteed day off per week on all rotations, including ward rotations.
Vacation, Holiday and Sick Leave. House staff receives four weeks of vacation per year. There are an additional 12 paid holidays and 12 sick days per year.
Salary. Salaries are competitive with other Midwest urban teaching hospitals. All meals are provided to house staff at no charge. A yearly financial stipend is available for residents to attend educational conferences and to purchase books.
Maternity and Paternity Leave. House officers are entitled to maternity and paternity leave for pregnancy and care of a new child.
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