Generalist Track

Current political and economic conditions are setting the stage for significant growth in the need for general internists. The Institute of Medicine has placed greater emphasis on health care that is patient-centered, safe, timely, and evidence-based. As a result, there has been a dramatic change in the training of general internists and an explosion of hospitalist medicine as a subspecialty within general internal medicine. General internists are now taking broader roles, and the opportunities for generalists will likely increase in the future.

University of Pittsburgh Internal Medicine Residency Program

Graduates of the Generalist Track will be able to pursue any of the following career paths:

• The primary care physician principally working in the ambulatory setting, responsible for the diagnosis of complex disorders, chronic disease management, and prevention.
• The hospitalist physician responsible for acute care of the complex patient, with an emphasis on patient safety and quality.
• A combination primary care/hospitalist physician who maintains expertise in both acute and chronic care of the complex patient.
• The academic general internist with a focus on a career as a clinician-educator or a clinician-investigator in health services.

The mission of the Generalist Track is to train residents to be highly competent internists who function effectively in the health care system for the 21st century. The track offers flexibility in curriculum design to accommodate the variety of roles that general internal medicine physicians are assuming in the health care system.

To accomplish this mission, residents work closely with general internal medicine faculty mentors who assist in the design and implementation of an individualized curriculum with a balance of inpatient and outpatient activities that directly relate to their individual career goals. Residents may choose to join this track at the end of the first year of their residency. By the middle of the second year, residents choose an area of concentration in one of the four career directions listed above. Residents have the option to choose among a broad selection of special electives that have been developed for the track. In addition track residents have access to experiences in health policy and advocacy; mentorship in scholarly activities that allow them to present their work at national meetings; and special training in the cost of medical care.

Goals

By completion of the Generalist Track, residents will be:

• Experienced in general internal medicine that is patient-centered, efficient, and evidence-based
• Skilled in procedures
• Practiced in environments that are designed for modern chronic disease management approaches
• Experienced in information technology and other patient care systems
• Prepared to assume leadership of multidisciplinary health care teams
• Master diagnosticians and educators of physical diagnosis
• Partners in continuous healing relationships with patients
• Champions of quality and patient safety
• Skilled and experienced advocates for health
• Cognizant of cost conscious and efficient medical care

Sample Schedule for Generalist Track Residents