Curriculum: A Didactic Component
Our program is proud to report 100 percent Initial Certification ABIM Board pass rate for the past two years (2023-2024).
Board Preparation
Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN)’s Internal Medicine Residency has historically maintained a high board-pass rate on the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) certification exam. The residency utilizes multiple methods to prepare our residents for the board examination, including the following:
- American College of Physicians’ (ACP) MKSAP books (provided during internship year).
- ACP MKSAP Question Bank access.
- Daily board questions revolving around majority of didactic education calendar.
- Weekly board review lectures organized by the chief medical resident and core faculty members.
- The annual ACP in-service training exam is taken each year by the residents, assessing current knowledge and offering analysis for needed areas of improvement.
PGY-3 residents are also offered a two-week block of study time at the end of their residency for board review and preparation.
Core Lecture Series
The Internal Medicine Residency provides multiple didactic conferences for information mastery. These multifaceted conferences provide an interesting and diverse experience that complements the clinical training at LVHN. The didactic conferences are scheduled every day from noon to 1 p.m. and on Wednesdays from noon to 3 p.m. (protected education time). Additionally, we have morning report-style conferences twice weekly.
Our noon conferences are themed each month around a specialty topic of focus. Subspecialists and fellows deliver content on their field of expertise Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Our department holds grand rounds and QI forums every Tuesday. Wednesdays are our extended day of learning with most content delivered by our residents. Residents will present the following conferences throughout their training:
- Journal club
- Morbidity and mortality case reports
- Clinicopathologic conference (CPC)
- Clinical case updates
- Board review
There also is a supplemental ambulatory didactic series scheduled for each cohort on their ambulatory week. This session occurs at Lehigh Valley Hospital–17th Street and consists of a three-year rotating cycle of common ambulatory topics.
Survivor Series and Procedure Course
Special content is delivered during the early part of the academic year as we onboard new interns and transition interns into senior residents. We hold a 30-day survivor series where senior residents deliver fundamental concepts to our new intern class. Our senior residents also get coached by faculty on effective leadership strategies as they transition into senior roles. Additionally, we hold a procedure course for each intern within the first five weeks of joining our health network. We deliver content at our simulation center and then work one-on-one with our new interns on the proper technique and approach for the following procedures:
- Central line placement
- Thoracentesis
- Paracentesis
- Lumbar puncture
- Arthrocentesis
The course is the first step in meeting requirements for procedure certification. In addition to procedural competency, the course is designed to allow new physicians to have as much simulated experience as possible to become comfortable with a procedure before performing it on patients. All PGY-1 residents also go through the OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Encounter) program as they join our program, which enables self-assessment and guidance on the principles of agenda setting and patient-centered care. It has a special focus on how to break bad news to patients and families as well as the approach to end-of-life discussions.
Procedure Refresher Course
Senior residents are brought back to our simulation center to review and practice procedural techniques in small groups to continue to foster competency in this domain.
POCUS Curriculum
As one of the largest tertiary referral centers in Pennsylvania with also one of the busiest, largest intensive care units in the state, our residents will use the latest technologies to provide high-quality care. All residents will be exposed to point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) imaging, with use occurring on the hospital floors and intensive care units. LVHN-Jefferson faculty coordinate and participate in POCUS curriculum, focusing on image acquisition and interpretation. Simulation labs occur regularly throughout the academic year at our LVHN Center for Healthcare Education.