Internal Medicine Residency Program

We will only review residency applications submitted through the AAMC ERAS system. Our program’s ERAS ID# is 1405600003.

Applications must be submitted through ERAS by October 15 for consideration for an interview. Incomplete applications may be rejected without follow-up; applicants are asked to ensure completion prior to ERAS submission. Attention to detail is a quintessential trait of a high-performing internist.

1. Graduation

All applicants must have graduated from accredited allopathic or osteopathic medical school in the United States or must have an equivalent degree from an international medical school (e.g. MBBS). We do not employ strict year of graduation (YOG) cut-offs in our application screening process but reserve the right to consider YOG in our holistic review.

2. USMLE

Applicants must have passed the USMLE Step 1 examination, and we strongly prefer applicants who have passed the USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) examination.

We incorporate applicants’ results from USMLE examinations into our holistic review. However, we will consider applicants who did not pass Step 1 or 2 on their first attempt. Moreover, we do not use strict cut-offs for scores on the Step 2 CK examination to screen applicants.

International medical graduates (IMGs) who have already passed Step 3 are viewed more favorably than IMGs who have not.

3. Letters of Recommendation

We require that a medical student performance evaluation (MSPE or “Dean’s letter”) or equivalent document accompanies each application. Moreover, we require three (3) letters of recommendation, two of which must be written by an internal medicine specialist, subspecialist, or equivalent.

4. Personal Statement

While we require that a personal statement accompany each application, we do not require customized statements for our program. We appreciate honesty and promote transparency; as such, we favorably view personal statements that contextualize extensions of medical school graduation date, significant gaps in training, failed attempts on either USMLE examination, etc. Personal statements apparently written by a large language model are viewed most unfavorably.

5. International Medical Graduates

For international medical graduates (IMGs), certification by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) is required. We will sponsor J-1 visas but are unable to accommodate H-1b visas. Additional details are found through our sponsoring institution’s website.

We will review the totality of the application before making our decisions to offer interviews. Further, all program faculty involved in ranking applicants are trained on and use the ACGME’s framework for holistic review.

Due to the sheer volume of applications received, our program strongly prioritizes reviewing applicants who signal.

• We offer interviews based on a combination of signal status and merits of the candidate.
• We review all applicants who signal gold prior reviewing those who signal silver. Applicants who do not signal are very unlikely to have their applications reviewed.
• Please note that signaling, even with a gold signal, does not guarantee an interview.
• We only use signaling for application review; we do not consider signaling in determining our final rank list.

When two applicants share similar accolades and potential for excellence within our program, we will tend to prefer applicants who have a geographical preference for our region.

We offer virtual interviews from October through early January of the recruitment season. We do not conduct in-person interviews.

We extend interview invitations on a rolling basis. All interview offers are guaranteed for at least 5 business days; applicants will not lose their interview offer to other applicants if they respond in a reasonable timeframe. However, out of respect for other applicants, we reserve the right to rescind the interview offer after 5 business days have lapsed.

We commit to using interview techniques that limit bias and noise in applicants’ rankings. All faculty conducting interviews have received training on mechanisms to maximize objectivity in our selection process.

We intend to offer optional second-look events in January or February after we have certified our rank list through the NRMP. These events may include both a virtual and in-person option. Participation in second-look events will have absolutely no bearing on rankings; we simply want to allow interested applicants the opportunity to meet our residents, see our facilities, and better understand our community before finalizing their own rank list.

Applicants who send pre-interview emails or other letters of interest will gain no advantage in securing an interview. Applicants should use ERAS to send application materials and to signal genuine preference for our program.

Similarly, applicants will not be ranked based on whether they send thank-you notes or initiate post-interview communication. An applicant’s stated intent to rank us highly will not influence our own ranking of the applicant.

We reserve the right to conduct post-interview communication with applicants, but we will never use such communication to coerce applicants nor to influence ranking decisions. Post-interview communication does not imply a decision to rank. Applicants are not expected to reciprocate with a response. The program adheres to all National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) policies regarding post-interview communications.

We consider applicants who have completed partial clinical training in another specialty through an Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited residency program or have completed internal medicine residency training outside of the United States.

Both types of applicants may be eligible for up to 12 months’ credit toward their internal medicine training in accordance with American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) policies. Please note that program leadership can only petition the ABIM for such credit after three months’ observation on the job here and that such credit cannot be guaranteed.

Our program is committed to the highest standards of graduate medical education. We fully adhere to the NRMP Match agreement and the NRMP Code of Conduct, and we follow guidance set forth by the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM). All faculty, staff, and learners involved in recruitment and interview activities participate in mandatory annual training on these standards and complete an attestation of compliance each year.

We are committed to transparent and structured communication with applicants. As stated above, and in accordance with AAIM and NRMP guidelines, our program does not use post-interview visits (i.e. “second looks”) in determining applicant placement on our rank list.

Mechanisms for anonymous reporting of concerns are available through the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals, our sponsoring institution.

Overview

We operate on a 4+1 scheduling model. During the “4” weeks, residents complete 4-week inpatient rotations (e.g. hospital wards, ICU) or paired 2-week rotations (e.g. night float followed by emergency medicine; endocrinology followed by neurology, etc.). Vacation time typically occurs during the “4” blocks. On the “+1” weeks, residents have their continuity clinics and other ambulatory experiences.

We utilize a night float model to cover all critical inpatient service lines. Residents do not complete admission cycles longer than 12 hours.

Sample Schedule

Rotations

ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah operates as home base for the residency program. However, residents’ clinical experiences span the region – both to ensure comprehensiveness of training and to immerse residents in the communities we proudly serve.

• Inpatient Hospitalist/General Wards — Residents staff three inpatient primary services at our primary training site, ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah. Senior residents also rotate at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton for exposure to our niche populations, such as our large cardiology service line.
• Outpatient Clinic — Residents have 5-6 half-days in their continuity clinic on “+1” weeks. Clinical sites are predominantly within ThedaCare’s on- and off-site clinics within Neenah and are staffed by a dedicated cadre of outpatient internists. The remainder of the “+1” week consist of other ambulatory clinics germane to the practice of internal medicine (e.g. medicine subspecialties, charitable care / free clinics, sports medicine, etc.) and protected time for scholarship.
• ICU — Residents rotate through ICUs at both of our regional medical centers. ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah is our stroke center and level 2 trauma center, and ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton is our cardiac care center. Rotations will be balanced to provide a broad exposure to critical care.
• Subspecialty Rotations — Residents complete at least two weeks of a dedicated rotation for each of the nine major subspecialties of internal medicine and their required neurology experience. These rotations occur during the “4” and not the “+1” part of the schedule to allow continuity with the subspecialty team(s). For primarily outpatient subspecialties, most experiences are in ambulatory settings. Residents will experience subspecialty care with both ThedaCare-employed physicians and our community partners in the Fox Cities.
• Emergency Medicine — Residents will work at our stroke and level 2 trauma center in Neenah, as well as at our busy and clinically diverse critical access emergency rooms (all within one hour of our primary site) for a total of four weeks in residency.
• Electives and Research — During these times, residents may opt for additional core or subspecialty clinical rotations, rotations outside of internal medicine specialties, time at our network of critical access hospitals, approved extramural rotations, research time, point-of-care ultrasound rotation, etc.
• POCUS Curriculum – The residency program has equipped each inpatient team and the continuity clinic with handheld ultrasounds. In addition, we run dedicated workshops and have built a self-paced, hands-on curriculum in all core internal medicine applications of POCUS. Program leadership provides expert-level review of resident-developed portfolios of examinations performed.
• Schedule Individualization — In accordance with the ACGME program requirements, residents will have at least 6 months of core clinical and non-clinical elective experiences tailored to their anticipated career plans.

We recognize the wealth of resources of medical knowledge now available to contemporary trainees. Thus, we seek to emphasize application of knowledge, sound clinical judgment and practical use cases in our precious time together.

To facilitate attendance, didactics are offered in person with a Zoom option for those off-site. We do not enforce a strict conference attendance policy, but we track attendance as one metric of residents’ engagement and to aid in developing individual learning plans.

Intern Core Series — During onboarding and weekly in first 6 months

Residents will gain practical skills in outpatient visit preparation, inter-visit care, in-basket management, medication reconciliation and inpatient handoffs. In addition, we cover common inpatient emergencies and challenging inter-visit outpatient issues. Finally, we review various professionalism topics and time management and self-care strategies.

Onboarding and intern core series also include simulation-based learning in procedural skills and other high-stakes, low-frequency scenarios.

Morning Report — Approximately 2-3 session weekly

Residents construct diagnostic frameworks toward common internal medicine problems, weigh therapeutic options and integrate disease-specific management plans based on a mix of known and unknown cases.

Board Review — Weekly

Residents review board questions and rapid-fire presentations to cover the highest-yield examination topics.

Subspecialty Series — Weekly

Residents learn contemporary approaches to diagnosis and treatment of internal medicine conditions from our expert colleagues in the ThedaCare community and among our affiliated partners.

Journal Club — Twice per month

Residents appraise the latest evidence through immersive learning strategies. In addition, residents analyze complex clinical decisions in a pro/con debate format centered on recent scientific studies.

Medicine Grand Rounds — Once per month

Residents gain insight into the latest advances in clinical internal medicine and its subspecialties with internal and external speakers.

Patient Safety and Care Improvement Conference — Once per month

In the vein of traditional morbidity and mortality conferences, this multidisciplinary conference evaluates cases of patient harm and near misses. Participants propose systemic improvements to care processes, communication and the work environment to mitigate future risk of harm.

E2PC2: Equity, Ethics, Professionalism and Cultural Competency — Once per month

Residents critically analyze complex ethical dilemmas and professional challenges in clinical practice by applying principles of ethics, equity and cultural competency.

Typical Didactic Calendar over One Month

All internal medicine residents will also receive paid annual membership in the American College of Physicians (ACP) and a three-year subscription to the ACP’s Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program (MKSAP) board review program. These perks allow residents to develop a board study plan from the outset of their training and to enjoy other continuing education offered through the ACP.