Cape Fear Valley Health Internal Medicine Residency

Overview

At Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, we are dedicated to cultivating an academic community hospital learning environment that nurtures the development of curious, compassionate, and ethical physicians. Our focus is on high-quality, personalized patient care. Our program mentors residents toward achieving clinical and academic excellence, providing comprehensive training in all areas of internal medicine, hospital-based care, and ambulatory primary care. We aim to graduate competent, compassionate, and professional physicians ready to serve and uplift our community.

Our faculty, staff, and residents share the same values of teamwork, leadership, professionalism, integrity, diversity, and the ethical treatment of all humanity. Cape Fear is an active trauma, stroke, and heart center enjoying top-performing status in several of its disease-specific certifications. With a unique patient mix that combines rural, urban, suburban, civilian, and military populations, we provide quality care to over 140,000 patients per year. In this capacity, we see a patient population that exhibits the breadth and depth of disease usually encountered only at large inner-city academic institutions.

On average, the Internists at Cape Fear, including 50 Hospitalists, carry an average daily census of over 300 patients. Cape Fear's medical facilities include Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, Highsmith-Rainey Specialty Hospital, Cape Fear Valley Rehabilitation Center, Behavioral Health Care, Bladen County Hospital, Hoke Hospital, Central Harnett Hospital, Betsy Johnson Hospital, as well as several medical offices and clinics spread throughout the Cape Fear region. Residents can expound on their clinical skills while treating patients within the Internal Medicine Continuity Clinic located at one of the Cape Fear Valley locations, Health Pavilion North.

With a priority placed on resident wellness, our location in the heart of North Carolina provides proximity to both the beaches and mountains with several hobbies, interests, and activities available for us to participate in as a group and our residents to enjoy in their ample downtime. The faculty at Cape Fear is comprised of a diverse group of physicians with a wealth of academic, military, and community experience. This dedicated group of teachers has a singular focus on preparing our residents to face the ever-changing practice of Internal Medicine and assisting them to become the best they can be for themselves and the patients they serve. This methodology is fostered by a team-based, collegial approach to resident training, as well as daily didactic sessions to deepen the residents' core knowledge.

Vision

Our vision is to foster a culture of physicians fueled by a relentless commitment to continuous growth and driven by their passion for teaching, scholarly pursuits, leadership, and the delivery of compassionate care.

Mission

• To be lifelong learners of the art and science of medicine
• To be innovators in medical scholarship
• Model compassionate care for our patients, their families, and our colleagues
• Physicians who strive to be supportive, respectful teammates
• Apply the principles of evidence-based medicine to find the best possible solutions for patient care
• To produce well-rounded physicians, who excel in areas of life beyond medicine

Are we right for you?

Cape Fear Valley Medical Center's Internal Medicine Residency Program is looking for candidates who embody our 3 primary virtues:

Humility: We foster a collaborative environment, emphasizing teamwork, ethical treatment, and respect for diversity.

Hunger: Our residents are constantly challenged with a wide range of medical conditions and substantial patient loads, including opportunities to serve an in-need population of patients.

Smart: Residents gain diverse experience with rural, urban, suburban, civilian, and military populations, developing both clinical and interpersonal skills.

Residents who are humble, hungry, and smart will thrive in our program, providing the highest quality of care to our diverse patient population and becoming leaders in internal medicine.

Simulation

Our high-fidelity simulation curriculum offers innovative, cutting-edge, hands-on learning experiences that replicate real-life cases with realistic outcomes based on the team's responses. These engaging sessions, led by our Program Director, Frank Lodeserto, who has over a decade of experience in teaching and designing simulation training, immerse residents in interactive scenarios. Held weekly during the resident continuity clinic experience, these sessions take place in our new, state-of-the-art multimillion-dollar simulation center.

In addition to clinical scenarios, residents also gain practical skills through procedural simulation training. They have access to advanced task trainers, allowing them to perform a variety of common procedures, including:

• Paracentesis
• Thoracentesis
• Central line placement
• Intraosseous device placement
• Lumbar puncture
• Pap smear
• Bronchoscopy
• Intubation
• Simulated point-of-care ultrasound training

This comprehensive approach ensures our residents are well-prepared for real-world clinical challenges and proficient in essential medical procedures.

Continuity Clinic

The continuity clinic for internal medicine residents is structured to develop their skills and competency in outpatient care over three years. This program aims to ensure that residents are proficient in various aspects of patient care, including billing and coding, while emphasizing evidence-based medicine. The clinic is entirely resident run with onsite dedicated clinic faculty to supervise and educate.

Our program operates on a 6 + 2 schedule. At the end of 6 weeks of various medicine/subspecialty rotations residents will spend have 2 weeks in our continuity clinic. During these two weeks, residents will spend 4-5 ½ days at the continuity clinic and the remaining ½ days will be spent at subspecialty clinics and with administrative ½ days to give our residents a comprehensive and diverse approach to outpatient care.

Key Components of the Ambulatory Training Program

Patient Care and Clinical Competence:

Residents are trained to gather comprehensive patient histories, perform physical exams, develop differential diagnoses, create evidence-based treatment plans, integrate preventive care, and ensure accurate, complete, and prompt documentation.

Supervision and Support:

A faculty-to-resident ratio of 1:2 is maintained to enhance educational experiences, with dedicated faculty providing supervision, especially during the initial stages of training. Support from clinic staff is crucial for residents to develop their patient panels and manage patient care effectively.

Patient Panel Development:

Residents follow a consistent panel of patients throughout their training, allowing for continuity of care and longitudinal learning experiences. Over time, they are expected to manage their panels more independently, reflecting their growing skills and knowledge.

Graduated Patient Scheduling:

Residents gradually increase their efficiency and capacity to manage more complex cases within shorter time frames, starting with 60 minutes per patient visit in the first year, 45 minutes in the second year, and 30 minutes in the third year.