“Our job is improving the quality of life, not just delaying death.” –Patch Adams
Welcome to Internal Medicine at Memorial Hospital in Savannah, Ga. Our hospital has served the community of Savannah and surrounding area since 1955. We are a 612-bed hospital and a regional referral center for cardiovascular care, cancer care, trauma, pediatrics, and high risk obstetrics as well as the only Level 1 trauma center in the region. We also serve as the Savannah campus of Mercer University School of Medicine. A residency spent at Memorial will be an immersion in pathology that parallels any large university.
Our residency trains a total of 40 residents comprised of 12 categorical residents per PGY class along with four preliminary interns. We utilize a novel scheduling model that maximizes the opportunity for a true continuity clinic while maintaining a strong inpatient experience. If you choose to train with us you will learn how to function well in a busy clinic environment as well as be comfortable stabilizing a patient in transfer to the ICU and everything in between. We believe that autonomy and purpose are the best vaccine against burnout and strive to create a learning environment that allows our trainees to gain this autonomy in a safe, informed manner. In this way we help guide our residents into a career they can enjoy and in which they find meaning.
We have an outstanding board pass rate history and know how to coach to the boards as well as to the patients. Our rigorous academic program ensures no resident need “cram “ for the boards in their last year and allows the board review to be just that: a review.
Our close relationship with Mercer University School of Medicine gives our residents the opportunity to utilize and develop their teaching skills and provides a student body willing and able to help in all facets of research and scholarly activity as well as community engagement. The Mercer students continually vote internal medicine their best clinical experience and our faculty and residents are regularly recognized as mentors and outstanding teachers.
But I believe that what truly sets us apart is our culture. We understand that meaning and purpose are what ultimately inspire people to do difficult things. And residency, no matter how you slice it, is difficult. In order to make the difference we all so sincerely want to make, we must develop tools of resiliency, learn to be comfortable in our discomfort, and cultivate our compassion as we seek to become better doctors and better human beings. We must be open to change within our program and ourselves. We strive for honest conversation among residents and faculty so we can support one another in doing the work that we hope will change our little corner of the world.
Mary C. Downing, MD, FACP, Program Director
For more information, please contact our residency program coordinator, Shauntelle Brown, at (912) 350-7573 or by email
Contact Us
For more information about our program, please contact Taneal Walton, program coordinator, at (912) 350-7573.
Welcome from our Program Director
Welcome to Internal Medicine at Memorial Hospital in Savannah, Georgia!
If you choose to train with us you will learn how to function well in a busy clinic environment as well as be comfortable stabilizing a patient in transfer to the ICU and everything in between. We believe that autonomy and purpose are the best vaccine against burnout and strive to create a learning environment that allows our trainees to gain this autonomy in a safe, informed manner. In this way we help guide our residents into a career they can enjoy and in which they find meaning.
Mission Statement
The Memorial Health University Medical Center Internal Medicine Residency Program’s mission is to develop the next generation of physicians and physician leaders. As a part of HCA Healthcare, we are driven by a single mission: Above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life.
This program is designed to offer residents a rewarding, educational environment where residents are provided individualized learning opportunities by faculty and staff who support and sustain one another throughout quality care delivery. Our faculty are committed to ensuring the residents' clinical experience and educational needs are fulfilled while expanding residents’ perspectives to be inclusive of cultures, values, and ideals.
Program Overview
The Internal Medicine Residency Program at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, Georgia, provides excellent clinical, academic, and practice opportunities for physicians seeking to begin a successful career in internal medicine.
Residents who graduate from our program are strong candidates for positions in outpatient practice, hospitalist positions, and traditional primary care. Many also decide to further their education through subspecialty training.
Our residency trains a total of 45 residents comprised of 15 categorical residents per PGY class . We utilize a novel scheduling model that maximizes the opportunity for a true continuity clinic while maintaining a strong inpatient experience.
Features of our program include:
- Preparation for both academic and clinical practice; all graduates have found practice opportunities and approximately 20 percent have entered fellowship training
- Strong core clinical faculty, outstanding 1:1 faculty/resident interaction
- On-site Mercer University School of Medicine where residents, faculty, and students are actively involved in education
- Off-campus rotations at both subspecialists' and general internists' offices.
- Opportunity to participate in original research and drug trials, consistent award-winning resident research and clinical vignette presentations at state and national meetings
- Resident-driven quality committees facilitating a streamlined learning environment
- Five-year accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
- Night team system on general medicine for PGY1, PGY2, and PGY3 residents
- Built-in moonlighting opportunities for PGY2 and PGY3 residents
- Exciting, active, team-based learning initiative
Curriculum and Rotation Schedule
Our expertly crafted programs are designed to provide resident physicians with all the experiences and training necessary for professional success.
Conference Schedule
Educational conferences have varying formats and are a large part of our program. Our conferences complement our curriculum and include team-based learning, case presentations, journal clubs, and much more. These conferences are highly rated and well attended.
Morning Report
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 9:15am – 10:00am for all house staff and faculty currently on medical wards. This is a resident-driven conference in which one to two cases recently admitted are presented to a teaching faculty member for an in-depth interactive teaching session focusing on differential diagnoses, treatment modalities, and interpretation of laboratory and radiographic data.
Team-Based Learning
This is an active learning initiative that has generated considerable excitement. Residents are divided into teams to develop in-depth understanding about various medical problems. Half of the residents attend the morning session and half attend in the afternoon.
Resident Career Enhancement
A career-enhancement program that covers areas such as obtaining a job, contracts, overhead, healthcare financing, bank loans, disability insurance, setting up an office, promoting a practice, how to get a fellowship, and opportunities in clinical research.
Grand Rounds
Conferences are held on Fridays in the state-of-the-art Medical Education Auditorium at Memorial Health University Medical Center. Distinguished and renowned guest lecturers present a broad spectrum of topics.
Performance Improvement Conference
Residents are guided by faculty to design, implement, and study various practice improvement and quality improvement initiatives. Each PGY year is responsible for its own project and meets monthly to discuss progress.
Noon Core Conferences
These daily meetings are held Monday through Thursday, 12:30pm – 1:30pm, for all house staff and teaching faculty. There is a three-year revolving curriculum addressing all aspects of internal medicine in preparation for the American Board of Internal Medicine Examination given by subspecialist and general medicine faculty.
Evidence-based Medicine (Journal Club)
Each resident is responsible for two EBM conferences per year, in which the resident articulates as PICO question and finds appropriate evidence to support or refute clinical decisions. These conferences provide comprehensive coverage of emerging evidence and the format ensures that the content is current with the medical literature.
Resident Forum
Residents meet with faculty on a monthly basis to provide feedback on educational and clinical experiences. Through the feedback, both small and major program initiatives have been implemented to better resident experience.
Monthly Board Tests
Once a month, the residents take an internally prepared test based on specific areas of internal medicine.
Tumor Board
This multidisciplinary conference is attended by radiation oncology, pathology, hematology/oncology, surgery, and residents on hematology/oncology service (or any other rotation). The board discusses interesting oncology cases and upcoming evaluation and treatment plans.
Outpatient Internal Medicine Clinic
Interns and residents spend a four-week rotation in their own continuity clinic as part of an “ABC” schedule (for example, two four-week blocks of wards followed by a four-week block of clinic). This allows for true separation of inpatient and outpatient experiences and guarantees several weekends off during the year. This is protected time from any other responsibilities. Our Center for Internal Medicine clinic allows residents to practice medicine in a real-life private-practice setting to a diverse panel of patients. Additionally, as part of the outpatient experience, students learn core concepts in outpatient medicine through the Yale Office-Based Curriculum.
MedStudy Board Review Course
All PGY3 residents are required to attend a 10-day internal medicine board review course in May at the expense of Memorial Health University Medical Center. The course is an excellent way to solidify clinical knowledge at the end of training.
FAQs
7:00am - 7:30am: Patient handoff and sign-out rounds
7:30am - 9:00am: Resident work rounds
9:00am - 10:00am: Morning report (inpatient teams only)
10:00am - 12:30pm: Attending rounds
12:30pm - 1:30pm: Lunch conference
1:30pm - 3:00pm: Work rounds and inpatient duties; complete attending rounds, if needed
3:00pm - 3:30pm: Afternoon patient handoff and sign-out rounds
8:30am – 5:00pm: Ambulatory clinic
There are five general ward services comprised of an attending, resident, intern, medical students, and, occasionally, a pharmacy or physician assistant student. The ward teams take call every fifth day from 7:00am to 7:00pm. There is no intern overnight call. Night teams arrive at 7:00pm and continue through 7:00am the following day. We fully comply with ACGME requirements for residency training programs with particular attention to the number of weekly hours and the number of patients each intern or resident can admit and manage. All members of the house staff are given a minimum of one day off per week averaged over four weeks.
The 16-hour intern work day has been an easy transition and is absolutely honored. All caps and ACGME work-hour requirements are strictly enforced. A Web-based program allows the residents to log their hours.
The department of internal medicine developed a night team system. Monday through Saturday from 7:00pm to 7:00am are covered by an upper-level resident and two interns. This system is strongly supported by the house staff. No intern works more than six night shifts in a row.
Intern PGY-1
The PGY-1 interns take call while assigned to internal medicine wards. Call is every fifth day, in house, and runs from 7:00am to 7:00pm.
Residents PGY-2 and PGY-3
The PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents take call while assigned to internal medicine wards. Call is every fifth day, in house, and runs from 7:00am to 7:00pm.
Subspecialty/Elective Rotations
Residents on subspecialty services do not take in-house call. Generally, the resident will take call with the respective subspecialist and pick up any new patients admitted overnight.
All interns and residents follow the "ABC" Block schedule, in which residents spend 4 weeks interrupted in continuity clinic, followed by 2 additional 4-week blocks on other core rotations. This ensures that residents spend 4 out of every 12 weeks in ambulatory clinic. This also ensures 4 weekends off out of every 12. Interns spend half-day sessions in the clinic when on the rotation (either morning or afternoon) and the other half of the day is for independent study, research, administrative tasks, etc. Residents also spend half-day sessions in continuity clinic, and the other half-day is spent in subspecialty clinics in order to broaden the scope of management in ambulatory care. Some of these experiences include core internal medicine specialties, but also orthopedics, dermatology, and otolaryngology. Senior residents also have the opportunity to practice urgent care skills through a week of same-day visits in the center for internal medicine.
Memorial Health University Medical Center, located in Savannah, Georgia, is a 612-bed tertiary care facility and a comprehensive regional referral center for cardiac care, cancer care, trauma, pediatrics, high-risk obstetrics, neonatology, and rehabilitation. We offer six physician residency programs and are affiliated with Mercer University School of Medicine. The presence of Mercer students enhances the teaching environment immensely.