Educational Goals

The primary program goal of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Ascension Sacred Heart is to achieve and maintain excellence in the education and training of Internists by assuring an organized educational experience with increasing responsibilities over three years in a setting where mutual respect between learners and teachers is fostered, where there is a diverse patient population, and where the teaching staff is enthusiastic and committed to teaching. This experience is designed to promote the acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to practice Internal Medicine, to develop the progressive autonomy of Internists, and to provide them with appropriate levels of supervision.  

The program’s objectives are defined under the ACGME six core competencies:  

1. Patient Care: Internists must be able to provide family centered patient care that is developmentally and age appropriate, compassionate, and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health.  
2. Professionalism: Manifested through a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities, adherence to ethical principles, and sensitivity to a diverse patient population.  
3. Medical Knowledge: Internists must demonstrate knowledge about established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological and social-behavioral science, and demonstrate the ability to apply this knowledge to patient care.  
4. Practice Based Learning and Improvement: Internists must demonstrate competence in the use of scientific methods and evidence to investigate, evaluate, and improve their patient care practices. The goal of this being to create an inquisitive, life-long learner, knowledgeable in the processing of medical information which can be utilized in care of patients now and in the future.  
5. Interpersonal and Communication Skills: Proficient and effective information exchange when working with patients, their families, and other health professionals.  
6. Systems Based Practice: This includes developing a working knowledge and comfort in the role of internal medicine as advocate for patient health related issues.