Internal Medicine Residency

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Residency at GW

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GW University Hospital

Who's Who in the Department

Letter from the Chairman

F.A.Q.s with Dr. El-Bayoumi

Applying to GW

Day of Interview

Resident's Website
http://www.gwmed.com

GWUMC Dept. of Medicine

F.A.Q. with the Program Director

In this section of our website, Dr. El-Bayoumi, the program director for the internal medicine residency, answers some questions commonly asked by applicants.

What is the on-call schedule?
At GW, teams are on call every fifth day with a nightfloat team every night starting at 8pm. At Fairfax, overnight call is every fourth night, and at the VA overnight call is every fifth night. Finally, the cardiac team at GW, the GW ICU, and the VA ICU are on overnight call every fourth night.

Is there a capping policy?
Intern admissions are capped at five new admissions in a 24-hour period and eight new admissions in a 36-hour period, in accordance with RRC guidelines. Under no circumstances are interns allowed to carry more than 12 patients at any time.

What about days off?
In addition to scheduled vacation weeks, interns and residents average four days off during each ward month. We strictly abide by the one day off in seven!!

Is there a nightfloat system?
At GW, there is a nightfloat team consisting of two residents and one intern from 8pm to 8am daily, 365 days a year. The intern crosscovers in-house patients on the floor, while the residents are responsible for admissions. The residents are also there as a resource for the interns throughout the night. At the VA and Fairfax, the on-call teams cover each other's patients during the evening hours.

What type of computer access do you have?
Our outpatient clinics are now completely paperless with computer charting on Touchworks. These records are accessible online via a secure webserver, allowing residents to reference the most recent clinic notes, outpatient medications lists, and test results when patients are admitted.

Inside GW Hospital, the emergency department is also paperless. On the wards, we are rolling out Opus, a new Windows-based charting software. Labs, radiology reports, vitals, and H&Ps are already online, as are support staff notes. Within the next few months, residents will be inputting orders and charting their progress notes online as well. All radiology images are available online in the hospital as well as via the internet. In medical records, our charts are scanned into Sorian software, allowing online access to data and notes from prior admissions.

Computers in the lounge and clinic have online versions of Medline (with over 40 full text journals), Harrison's, Current, Scientific American, and many other titles. Within the hospital, MD Consult and Up To Date are available to every houseofficer free of charge!! You can access the library resources from home and have 24-hour services to the e-journals and databases.

The VA has a very advanced clinical information system with a friendly, Windows-type interface. The longitudinal medical record for each veteran is available, including lab results, patient notes and consults, radiology images, pharmacy information, outpatient appointments, and orders. Although not as advanced, the NIH has a system similar to the VA. Inova Fairfax Hospital has labs, vitals, medication lists, transcribed H&Ps and consult notes, and radiology online.

All locations have terminals that access the internet and our departmental intranet, which is our means of communication with the residents. Each resident receives an account that allows access to our residency homepage where they can find schedules, phone and pager lists, and information pertaining to the program.

What is the salary and benefits package?
Salary: The most up to date salary information can be found at the Graduate Medical Education website. There is usually a yearly cost of living increase.

Vacation: Interns receive four weeks vacation (three paid) while residents receive four weeks paid vacation yearly.

Parking: Free parking is available for housestaff at all sites. At GW specifically, the garage is located right in downtown DC, directly across the street from the clinic and the hospital.

Uniforms: Two personalized white coats are provided to each intern. One coat is provided to each resident each subsequent year.

Insurance: Medical, disability, and professional liability insurance is provided by the University.

Tuition Benefits: Tuition benefits at GWU are available for houseofficers and their dependents.

Health and Fitness Center: Annual membership for the Lerner Health and Wellness Center is $295.00 and can be paid through payroll deduction.

Food: Lunch is provided at nearly every noon conference (except Grand Rounds).

Retirement: Access to 403b account with university contribution after two years' employment.

Is there a research requirement?
Yes, we do require all categorical and primary care residents to complete a research project before graduation. During the first year, residents are expected to formulate a research topic. With the help of senior research faculty, this idea is refined and data gathering is conducted in the PGY2 year. The resident works closely with a faculty mentor whom they select. By senior year, residents are preparing their project for presentation and/or publication. Residents present their "work in progress" in a series of research conferences to the rest of the housestaff and faculty.

Additionally, GW is quite active in the local chapter of the American College of Physicians. Housestaff submit posters for presentation at the local meetings twice a year. They get the experience of learning how to write an abstract which is reviewed with an attending physician.

When is the deadline for applying through ERAS?
The deadline is November 30, 2006

What are the minimum score requirements for your program?
We do not have a minimum score, we look at the overall application. We review your transcript, letters of recommendation, and CV.

What is your board pass rate?
The board pass rate that is presented by the ABIM (American Board of Internal Medicine) is a cumulative score from previous years. The results from 2003 to 2005 showed a pass rate 99% or better each year, which is the highest rate of any residency program in Washington, D.C.!

What board preparation do you offer?
Since Dr. Wasserman became chairman of the department nine years ago, it has been a priority of the residency to continually improve the board pass rate. When I became program director, we implemented several changes as outlined below:

Free MKSAP or subsidized Medstudy: We offer each senior resident a free copy of the MKSAP or reduced-rate Medstudy to assist in their board preparation

Yearly Internal Medicine NBME In-Training Exam: Each internal medicine intern and resident will take the in-training exam to assist in defining areas of improvement for individuals and the program. Results of this examination directly affect the content of the noon conferences and junior resident didactic session.

Board Preparation Course: Senior residents now participate in a required board review course. For three months of the PGY3 year, senior faculty and residents meet for a structured, intensive review of material specifically tested on the ABIM certifying examination. Topics are selected based on in-training exam results and ABIM content areas.

Evidence-Based Morning Report: After presenting cases at resident report, the resident is assigned a specific question relevant to that case. Questions are reviewed with the group at the end of the rotation, providing a consistent method of staying current with the literature.

The fact that the class pass rate has persistently remained 99% or above speaks to the fact that our efforts continue to pay off.

Do you give a book allowance?
Residents do not receive a specific book allowance. All of the housestaff and fellows have free MDConsult and Up To Date access as well as free access through the library to over three dozen textbooks and almost 1,000 journals that are full text online. All residents do receive a 10% discount at the University Bookstore. Additionally, each senior resident receives a free copy of the MKSAP or Medstudy.

Is there support for travel to a national meeting?
Any resident who presents scholarly work at a national meeting will have conference and travel expenses reimbursed.

Which Visa types does your program accept?
We are only able to accommodate J1 visas.

What about International Medical Graduates (IMGs)?
Yes, we accept international medical graduates because we choose the most qualified applicants no matter where a person is from!

IMGs must have a valid ECFMG or a valid CSA certificate. We accept J1 visas, no H1 visas, no B1 visas. IMGs must have clinical experience in the US!

Do you offer externships?
No.

Last Updated: October 13, 2006