Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Program
The American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics offer dual certification in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. The combined residency program includes four years (two years in each specialty) of coherent training integral to the residency of each discipline.
To meet eligibility requirements for dual certification, residents will complete 48 months of combined training and clinical competence satisfactorily as verified by the directors of both programs.
Pediatrics training is concentrated at Wesley Medical Center. Internal medicine training takes place at Wesley Medical Center, Via Christi Regional Medical Center – St. Francis campus, and the VA Medical Center. The program draws on extensive resources and expertise available in Wichita through a community-based approach to education. Clinical faculty members are practicing primary care or subspecialty pediatricians and internists. Residents have extraordinary opportunities to interact closely with the faculty. They provide ongoing diagnoses and treatment services for many patients admitted to the hospital by physicians in the community. Community physicians also invite residents to see patients in their private offices.
The program objectives include the training of generalist physicians for practice or academic careers addressing the spectrum of illnesses in newborns, young children, adolescents, and adults. Graduates of the Internal Medicine/Pediatrics program will function as generalists in practice or enter a subspecialty training program. This clinical training also prepares graduates to undertake research in areas shared by internal medicine and pediatrics, including adolescent medicine, medical genetics, clinical epidemiology, medical decision-making, and health care delivery. At the conclusion of 48 months of training, residents will have experience in the prevention, detection, and treatment of illness, the rehabilitation of patients, the socioeconomics of illness, the ethical care of patients, and the team approach to medical care.
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General Information
The affiliated institutions are located to facilitate cohesion among the residents in the training program. Inpatient rotations alternate between internal medicine and pediatrics every four months throughout the four years. Call responsibilities are the same as categorical trainees.
The two program directors for the internal medicine and the pediatrics residencies serve as co-directors for the Internal Medicine/Pediatrics residency. Faculty exchanges over curriculum, evaluation, administration, and related matters in the combined program assure a coordinated experience. Care is exercised to avoid unneeded duplication. An advisory committee exists to review the curriculum, residents’ schedules, evaluation process, and recruitment needs.
The trainees in the combined program are under a joint contractual appointment during the entire four years and are evaluated by the existing departmental mechanisms. An evaluation is performed at least every four months as the resident is changing services between specialties. An annual evaluation is performed by the co-directors. Issues such as vacation, moonlighting, salaries and fringe benefits are determined by WCGME and are standard for all residency programs throughout the medical school.
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Shared Subspecialty Experiences
To provide an integrated approach to medicine and coordinate the practice of internal medicine and pediatrics, several opportunities exist for subspecialty rotations that provide experience in both areas. Adolescent medicine, endocrinology, infectious disease, rheumatology, and emergency room experiences are included. A rural medicine rotation is available which also offers exposure to medicine for all age groups.
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Ambulatory Care Responsibilities
Outpatient care responsibilities occur at the KUSM-W Patient Care Clinic and Wesley Medical Center pediatrics clinic continuously throughout the four years. Participation in two half-day clinics per week includes one clinic in internal medicine and one in pediatrics. All clinic responsibilities are supervised by faculty members of each department as appropriate.
The goal is that residency education will include comprehensive and longitudinal primary care for patients and their families. Residents follow and build relationships with the same patients throughout the four-year residency.
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Conferences and Didactic Training
Conferences are available throughout the year for both disciplines. Residents are encouraged to attend all conferences in each discipline as possible. Attendance is encouraged at the monthly adolescent medicine conference. Other didactic training occurs during morning reports on each specialty and in the ambulatory setting.
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Rotation Schedule & Curriculum
A sample rotation schedule is included. Within the guidelines and requirements of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics, we provide flexibility in scheduling and address the needs and interests of each resident.
For additional information, please contact:
Department of Pediatrics: Resident Coordinator (316) 293-2632 or
Department of Internal Medicine: Residency Coordinator (316) 293-2650
