Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency Program

Quick facts about the Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency Program at Maryland:

The Med/Peds Residency Program at Maryland was formed in 1994 by Susan Wolfsthal, M.D. and Carol Carraccio, M.D.
Our program has four residents in each class for a total of 16 Med/Peds residents.
Our residents train primarily at three medical centers in downtown Baltimore:
Our Med/Peds residents attend separate continuity clinics in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics on campus alternating weeks during their four years. A second half-day of clinic at a community-based Med/Peds clinic is added during the third and fourth years.

For a more detailed summary about our Med/Peds program, including more information about our curriculum, go to our Internal Medicine/Pediatrics page on the Deparment of Internal Medicine residency web site.

Frequent Asked Questions about Our Med/Peds Program

Where do the residents live?

Our residents live in a variety of places in the Baltimore area. About half live in the city itself. Baltimore is home to many diverse neighborhoods, each with its own identity and character. Many of these neighborhoods are popular among the city?s young professionals and offer affordable housing for rent or purchase. Those residents who choose to live outside of the city limits settle in one of the nearby suburbs like Columbia, Ellicott City or Owings Mills. Several suburbs are conveniently located halfway between Baltimore and Washington DC for those Maryland residents with significant others working in DC.

Where do our residents see clinic patients? Is there a combined Med-Peds clinic?

Our primary clinic sites are the University Health Center for internal medicine and the Pediatric Ambulatory Center. Both are located on campus within two blocks of the main hospital. Residents alternate weekly between the two sites. Maintaining two separate patient panels allows our residents to care for an equal number of adult and pediatric patients. Beginning in the third year, residents are assigned to a community Med-Peds practitioner. Plans are in place to begin community practice rotations during second year. During this experience they carry a combined patient panel as well as learn some of the ins and outs of practice management. Residents attend combined clinics one afternoon per week while on elective and outpatient rotations.

Are there opportunities for international medicine?

Yes. Many faculty members at UMMS are involved with providing care and performing research overseas, and welcome residents to join them for electives. Some recent resident experiences included clinical opportunities in Latin America, Africa and South Asia. Funding to support international electives is available through the Medicine and Pediatrics departments.

Do residents rotate outside of University of Maryland Medical Center?

Yes. Residents receive broad clinical experience as they rotate through our three local hospitals. Aside from UMMS, our other clinical sites include Mercy Medical Center and the VA Baltimore Medical Center. Mercy is a private hospital academically affiliated with UMMS and located approximately one mile away in downtown Baltimore. Residents spend 5-6 months at Mercy over the course of their training, typically two months of medicine and three months of pediatrics. The Baltimore VA is the center of the Veterans Administration Health Care system in Maryland. It is connected by bridge to UMMS, and many University faculty members are involved with care and teaching on the VA side.

Are there moonlighting opportunities for residents?

Yes. Moonlighting opportunities are available within the program at both UMMS and Mercy Medical Center. There are currently no moonlighting opportunities for interns, however, and moonlighting outside the system is not permitted.

What careers do residents pursue?

Among our graduates since 1994, 58% have gone on to careers in primary care, 25% have pursued fellowships and subspecialty practice, 11% work as hospitalists and 6% have established careers in an urgent care or emergency room setting.

Is there a free-standing children's hospital?

No. The University of Maryland Hospital for Children is not a free-standing structure, but is located within the main hospital on the fifth and sixth floors. The hospital provides tertiary care level services with a state-wide referral base. The Hospital for Children offers a wide variety of pediatric subspecialists, including allergy, behavioral/ developmental pediatrics, cardiology, critical care, endocrinology, gastroenterology, genetics, hematology/ oncology, immunology, infectious disease, nephrology, neurology, pulmonology, and rheumatology. Aside from the inpatient hospital setting, residents rotate through a number of outpatient locations including the Pediatric Ambulatory Center, The Adolescent and Young Adult Center, and numerous community outreach sites. In addition, residents staff our Pediatric Emergency Department.

How frequently do residents switch between Medicine and Pediatrics?

Residents rotate every three months. Twice during residency (at the start of 2nd and 4th years) they complete a six month block of either medicine or pediatrics rotations. This helps to ease the transition from intern to senior responsibilities and ensures seasonal variation of patient pathology.

How long is internship?

Internship lasts twelve months. Residents in Med-Peds serve as senior residents from the beginning of their second year. Services without supervisory responsibilities, such as the adult Cancer Center, are scheduled early in second year to help new seniors transition to their changing roles.

Do the residents get along?

The camaraderie among the residents is palpable and is one of the major strengths of our program. There is a friendly working relationship among residents in all programs here and a distinct solidarity among those in the Med-Peds program. Friendships that are generated in the hospital are fostered at resident-run House Staff Association events as well as countless informal gatherings outside of the hospital. Some recent examples include happy hours, basketball, soccer, football, dinners out, bowling, and whitewater rafting.

Are there a wide variety of cases? Do other major hospitals in the area limit exposure to interesting cases?

Although Baltimore and other nearby cities have a high density of academic medical centers, residents in our program have had no shortage of unique and interesting cases during their training. UMMS serves as a tertiary referral center with a contingent of world-class subspecialists, and we maintain a strong relationship with the surrounding community and referring hospitals.

Is research required?

Yes. All Med-Peds residents complete a senior research project for both Medicine and Pediatrics. Internal Medicine projects involve a written manuscript and oral presentation to the residency program on a chosen topic. Many manuscripts have been successfully submitted for publication. Seniors on Pediatrics participate in original research, with the goal of familiarizing the resident with the process of IRB approval, data collection and analysis. Pediatric research projects have been accepted for publication and presentation at national meetings. Med-Peds residents have published in Pediatrics and presented at regional ACP meetings and national meetings like IDSA.

This page was last updated on: September 21, 2009.

For more information about UMHC or to make an appointment, please call
1-800-492-5538 (patients) or 1-800-373-4111 (physicians).