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Welcome to internal medicine. You will find that our program is not what you may have experienced during medicine clerkships. From innovative technology to the first cardiac stenting in the country, Spokane has historically been a trendsetter in medical care.
We have re-shaped our program in response to one of the key trends in internal medicine, the growth of the hospitalist movement. Residents who wish to pursue this field will be well trained and experienced. In addition, we provide excellent opportunities to develop skills in the outpatient setting. Therefore our graduates can choose from multiple career options: Internal Medicine specialists who provide care for patients as primary care internists, as hospitalists or as physicians who go on to subspecialty fellowships. Many of the practicing specialists and internists in our region are graduates of our residency program.
We look at what our graduates have done and are doing in their careers and modify our program to match residents’ needs. It is our program’s approach to take the best from the past and adapt it to the present in order to prepare you for the future. The past is internal medicine’s grandeur and in many ways it is magnificent. It is a heritage that traces back to Sir William Osler. It is a training system that creates an expert diagnostician by correlating observational skills learned in classic history and physical exam techniques with lab and path findings in a teaching environment. It is a system that teaches the nuances of observation. It is the realization that experience hones the intuition of a physician. It is an inquisitiveness that drives you to seek answers for your own knowledge and to do the very best for your patient. It is the realization that the patient’s disease is not the only thing that defines the patient. It is the desire to be a teacher and foster your love of medicine in others. The present is the hustle and bustle of medicine. It is high-tech medicine. It is a growing trend to have internal medicine physicians who are expert at managing patients in the hospital setting. It is learning the skills of being a consultant. It is learning the skills needed to design and implement approaches to contain costs while providing optimal care. It is learning to be a hospital-based team leader not just amongst colleagues but across professional lines. It is learning how to become a vital part of your hospital now and in your future as an internist. The present is also the development and training of those internists who wish to be outpatient physicians who care for an ever-aging population. Society and patients must have skilled clinicians who utilize preventative measures appropriately; contain costs effectively; and accurately manage multiple complex medical problems. And they must have internists who live the cornerstones of medicine – compassion, empathy and respect. We structure Internal Medicine Residency Spokane for your needs by:
Residency is challenging, and you will certainly grow as a person and as a physician during your time in training. To accomplish this, you should know that a prerequisite for both faculty and residents is a well-developed sense of humor. Please read further to learn about what we have to offer. Judy Benson, MD Program Director Clinical Associate Professor University of Washington School of Medicine |
Program Director |