Internal Medicine
- NEW PD IN JUNE 2024: Philip McDonald MD named Program Director, after serving as interim PD for a year. Read Bio.
- NEW ASSOCIATE PDS: Dr. Luay Alkotob and Dr. Ali Zreik were named associate program directors in July 2024.
- ONLINE INTERVIEWS: Interviews will be conducted virtually. See Hurley GME's Application Process web page for other pandemic adaptations, such as eligibility criteria related to Step 2 Clinical Skills.
- 2023 NEWS: 7 years in a row for 100% board-passage for Hurley IM residents!
- HIRING: Faculty physician - a combined ID/IM role to join our core Internal Medicine faculty and ID physician team.
- 2024 FELLOWSHIP MATCH NEWS: Congrats to three senior residents who matched into 2025 fellowships. See the list here.
The Internal Medicine Residency Training Program at Hurley Medical Center provides residents with an exceptional opportunity to gain the skills, knowledge and experience necessary to pursue a successful career in primary-care medicine or to continue their training in a range of medical subspecialties. With a well-established core faculty and strong faculty-to-resident ratio (including 15 full-time and 36 part-time faculty members), our Internal Medicine residents receive focused guidance while serving one of the largest and most diverse patient populations in the state. Since the inception of the Internal Medicine residency training program, nearly all of our graduates have passed their national board exams.
Our three-year internal medicine residency program is affiliated with the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine (MSU-CHM) and is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The residency program offers extensive exposure to inpatient and outpatient primary and subspecialty care, as well as an emergency medicine component and the opportunity to pursue medical research projects.
Located in Flint, Michigan — only an hour from Ann Arbor, Detroit and Lansing — Hurley Medical Center is situated near the heart of Southeastern Michigan’s vibrant educational and business corridor. Work/life balance is an important component of the residency training program; the area offers numerous cultural opportunities and, for those residents who pursue outdoor activities, Michigan’s famous lakes, state parks and natural wonders are just a short drive away.
What's new?
New faculty, dictation features, and mobile computers for rounding
- New leadership: Philip McDonald MD was named Program Director in July 2024.
- New curriculum: A pain management curriculum was developed and implemented in the 2023-2024 academic year.
- Expanded work areas and other resources: 2 hospital-based lactation rooms; a third computer work room - on the 10th floor; an Abbott Education Center room designated as a daily handover location; the residents' lounge with two rooms, including computer work stations; centrally located nap rooms.
- Geriatric excellence: National recognition for geriatric care from: 1) American College of Emergency Physicians - Bronze-Standard, Level 3 Geriatric Emergency Program; and 2) Institute for Healthcare Improvement and its partners (the John A Hartford Foundation, American Hospital Association, and Catholic Health Associates of the United States) - Age-Friendly Health System Committed to Care Excellence. HMC offers a fast-track ER for patients 65 and up, a special fracture-care program for seniors, and a NICHE program.
- Stroke Achievement Award: The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association awarded Hurley its Get with the Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award. Hurley had already received the AHA/ASA Target: Stroke Eliete Honor Roll Award.
- Best Smart Hospital: For the second time, Newsweek Magazine and Statista Inc. named Hurley as one of the top 250 smart hospitals in the world in 2023, ranked at 115 overall and in the top 50 in the U.S. Only two hospitals in Michigan received the recognition: University of Michigan Hospital-Michigan Medicine (which operates the Hurley Emergency Department) was selected for its use of robotics. Hurley was selected for its use of new technology to improve care, health goals and quality of life for patients. Resident physicians have repeatedly rated Hurley high for its electronic medical record system, Epic.
Facilities & Activities
Recent remodeling makes for a light and airy outpatient clinic and on-site outpatient pharmacy, conveniently located near to each other on the ground floor of the hospital. Residents have designated days to work in the continuity clinic regardless of the location of their inpatient rotation. It takes just a few minutes to walk from one location to another. Noon conferences take place in the new Abbott Education Center, which is also centrally located in the hospital.
Photo Gallery: Internal Medicine people and places
Program Strengths
Academic excellence, community outreach, clinical experience
In addition to our core curriculum and training opportunities, Hurley’s internal medicine residency program includes the following key elements:
- Individualized Learning Plans: Interns meet regularly with mentors and their program director to set career goals and map steps to meet those goals.
- Residents can create their own study groups: A full-time faculty member or chief resident can facilitate these sessions.
- Monthly Journal Club: Each month, residents and faculty review one or more article and then discuss the content, applicability, reliability and validity of the information as it relates to clinical practice. This is a way to learn and practice critical analysis to better prepare physicians to understand and apply new information in the future.
- Community Involvement: Each of the six resident teams serve two to three half-days per year at an area homeless shelter, providing one-on-one health counseling, group health education, and basic health screening. As part of their homeless shelter team, they also have a chance to complete one major project, such as a community health screening day.
- 4-week blocks: Residents work on unit-based teams for an entire block, experiencing teamwork at its best. Extra exposures are embedded into, for example, Procedure Week, which may include simulation or a visit to an area homeless shelter. Dedicated time for research and quality improvement can be arranged, as well as other encounters to help residents reach their goals.
- Quality Improvement Teams: Residents join one of the program’s ongoing (or new) QI projects, which are tied to the institution’s quality initiatives and typically have a mentor from the institution’s project/content area, so from year one forward, they can participate at various stages of a QI project.
- Research Teams: Residents join one of the ongoing (or new) research projects with a faculty mentor and also may complete extra research projects to help them meet their academic and career goals, with support from faculty mentors, the program’s dedicated research professionals, and the institution’s Research Department.