The Mather Hospital Internal Medicine and Transitional Year Residency Programs offer a robust, year-round academic curriculum designed to develop clinical knowledge, board readiness, and scholarly engagement. The didactic schedule runs from July through June and features a structured weekly conference framework, an intensive intern bootcamp, and a longitudinal journal club series.

Intern Bootcamp (July–August)

Bootcamp lectures are delivered by core faculty, senior residents and fellows.  All incoming PGY-1 residents begin the year with a dedicated 8-week Bootcamp that provides a practical, high-yield introduction to the essential skills needed for day-one readiness. Topics are sequenced to build competence progressively:

Week 1: Orientation & Workflow

  • A Day in the Life of an Intern — workflow, expectations, and the EMR
  • Admission orders, electrolyte repletion protocols, and order-writing fundamentals
  • Patient presentation formats for floors, ICU, and sign-out
  • Cover call & night survival guide — pages, escalation pathways

Weeks 2–3: Cardiopulmonary Essentials

  • Rapid Response & Code Blue basics
  • EKGs not to miss
  • Goals of care & MOLST conversations
  • Chest pain approach (ACS vs. non-ACS), heart failure, arrhythmias
  • Hypoxemia, oxygen devices, pneumonia, PE, pleural effusions
  • ABGs & ventilator basics

Weeks 4–5: Renal, Endocrine & Hematology

  • Hyponatremia, hypernatremia, hyperkalemia management
  • AKI vs. CKD and IV fluid management
  • Anticoagulation
  • Inpatient diabetes management

Weeks 6–7: Neuro, GI & Infectious Disease

  • Altered mental status (systematic approach)
  • Stroke basics
  • GI bleed management & N/V/D/constipation
  • Fever workup & sepsis
  • Antibiotic basics

Week 8: Procedures & POCUS

  • Pain management
  • POCUS #1: Cardiac + volume status (IVC, EF)
  • POCUS #2: Lung ultrasound

Year-Round Weekly Didactic Structure

Following bootcamp, the academic year follows a recurring weekly conference schedule:

Day Conference Type Frequency
Monday Rapid Response Training or EKG/Cardiac Conference Rotating
Tuesday Didactics, M&M, or Medical Jeopardy! Rotating
Wednesday Didactics Weekly
Thursday Critical Care Case Presentation Weekly
Friday Resident Forum, or Mather Grand Rounds Rotating

Key Conference Types

  • Didactics: The backbone of the academic curriculum. Topics are organized by organ system and cover the breadth of internal medicine, including cardiology, pulmonology/critical care, gastroenterology, hematology/oncology, infectious disease, endocrinology, nephrology, neurology, and rheumatology.
  • Critical Care Presentations (weekly): Each resident presents a critical care case during the year.
  • Rapid Response Training (bi-weekly): These sessions provide ongoing interactive discussion in recognizing and managing acute clinical deterioration.
  • EKG/Cardiac Conference (bi-weekly): This lecture focuses on ECG interpretation and cardiac case discussions.
  • Morbidity & Mortality (M&M) Conference (monthly): Resident-led case reviews with a focus on systems-based learning and quality improvement.
  • Medical Jeopardy! (monthly): A gamified, team-based review session.
  • Resident Forum (bi-weekly): Facilitated by Dr. Minter, providing a protected space for resident feedback, wellness check-ins, and program discussions.
  • Mather Grand Rounds (bi-weekly): Guest speakers presenting on a range of clinical and academic topics.