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Internal Medicine Residency at UPMC Mercy

UPMC: Making Life Changing Medicine Happen

UPMC is a nationally and internationally recognized health care leader, known for transforming medicine to improve patients’ lives. As Pennsylvania’s largest nongovernmental employer, UPMC has 87,000 employees, 40 hospitals, 700 doctors’ offices and outpatient sites, and a 3.5 million-member Insurance Services Division.

Discover more about the UPMC GME training programs and hospitals.

About UPMC Mercy

UPMC Mercy is a tertiary care hospital, part of the 40-hospital UPMC system. Our medical-surgical focus is accompanied by the state-of-the-art main campus of the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute. We have more adult emergency department visits than any other UPMC hospital, and we have the only burn center in the UPMC system. Located in the Uptown section of Pittsburgh next to Duquesne University, UPMC Mercy is a major referral center for patients in the tri-state region of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio.

UPMC Mercy is a Level I trauma center and a Joint Commission-Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, one of only 130 Comprehensive Centers out of 6000 US hospitals. We have more than 1,200 medical staff, including 24/7 on-site presence of:

  • Anesthesiologists
  • Emergency medicine physicians
  • Hospitalists
  • Intensivists
  • Trauma surgeons

About Our Program

Our vibrant Internal Medicine Residency Program (@UPMCMercyIM) is comprised of 63 total residents (21 in each class) and offers:

  • University faculty in all specialties and sub-specialties
  • Outstanding Board Pass Rates
    • In January 2022, to further diversify our residents’ learning, our program continues to offer virtual Board prep sessions by external alumni. Each alumnus will offer session(s) in his/her specialty or subspecialty as a fresh perspective to the Boards.
  • Collaborative and collegial environment 
  • Diverse patient population with high volume of complex cases
  • Opportunities to customize training based on your interests 
  • Abundant "shovel-ready" research projects with university professors
  • Funded opportunities to present at external conferences during all three years of training  

We’re very proud of our residents' many publications and presentations at national meetings. Our residents have full opportunity to work with world-class faculty from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in a broad spectrum of activities, including basic science and clinical research. In 2019, the University of Pittsburgh was #4 in the US in NIH grant support, with $28 million in grants toward 472 awards. Read why we are one of the Top 50 NIH-Funded Institutions of 2019.

Simulation training is available via the Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation, Education and Research (WISER), a world-class multidisciplinary training and research facility. Additionally, all residents are offered training in the performance and interpretation of bedside ultrasound.

All internal medicine residents undertake a clinical experience with Operation Safety Net, which is the nation’s first, targeted, full-time street medicine program to provide medical care to persons who are homeless. Operation Safety Net continues to set the standard for this unique field, offering not only access to health care but also giving hope and dignity to the population it serves.

The residents’ continuity clinic experience is one day per week when on a four-week subspecialty rotation. Residents also participate in a weight management clinic, gaining valuable experience in an area of medicine which is often given a lesser degree of training priority. Residents may also participate in a unique Critical Illness Recovery Clinic geared toward addressing the PTSD-like psychosocial issues that may result from a prolonged ICU stay.

UPMC Mercy hosts a large number of medical students throughout the academic year, giving residents the opportunity to teach students both in the clinical realm and in daily "MKSAP" for students" lectures.

Our program selects three PGY-3 chief residents yearly, with input into the selection provided by fellow residents.

Residents are supported by full ancillary staffing, and regularly participate in multidisciplinary rounds with clinical pharmacologists and case managers.

Accolades

An award that says American College of Physicians recognizes UPMC Mercy as an Elite Residency Program supporting resident education and professional development.

  • We were recognized by the American College of Physicians in March 2021 as an “Elite Residency Program” for our support of our residents’ educational and professional development.
  • We were commended in 2022 by the (national) Review Committee for Internal Medicine for our demonstrated compliance with ACGME Program Requirements.
  • Congratulations to Dr. Ibrahim Ghobrial, associate program director, who was elected in 2021 to a four-year term as Governor of the Western Pennsylvania American College of Physicians!
    • Dr. Ghobrial was also honored in 2016 with the ACP’s Laureate Award.
  • Congratulations to Leah Thompson, who in July 2020 was named UPMC’s Outstanding Coordinator of the Year!

Residency Program Details

Personal Time Off:
Residents receive 20 weekdays of personal time off.

Meals:
Residents receive a meal card with monies preloaded to use in the UPMC Mercy Cafeteria and in the 1847 Cafe.

Parking:
Residents receive free parking on site. In addition, the Department of Medicine will assist in offsetting parking fees incurred during off-site experiences.

Insurance:
Residents are provided with UPMC health insurance (with basic dental and vision coverage). Enhanced dental and vision coverage is available for residents and their eligible dependents for an additional fee. Residents are provided with Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, Life Insurance, and Medical Malpractice insurance.

Educational Expenses:
Residents are eligible for up to $2,000 in reimbursement for educational expenses over their three years of training, subject to content approval by the program director.

Presentation and Conference Expenses:
Residents are encouraged to participate in external scholarly activity (e.g. presentation at a recognized medical conference of abstracts and posters pertaining to research). Related expenses may be reimbursed up to $1,500 per presentation, pending approval by the program director.

Board Preparation:
The Department of Medicine provides each PGY1 resident with the newest version of the MKSAP. Additionally, we offer Board review sessions twice per month during noon conference.

New in 2022!
We offer 22 hours of evening virtual Board prep sessions, covering each medical specialty/subspecialty, conducted by alumni who are no longer at UPMC Mercy. These sessions give residents a fresh educational perspective and provide residents and alumni with a mutual connection.

Lab Coats:
Residents receive two lab coats at the start of their PGY1 year. One additional coat is provided upon request in the first three months of each additional year of training.

Scrubs:
Residents are provided with access to one pair of scrubs. These scrubs are returned to the CINTAS machine when soiled, at which point the resident will have access to a clean pair of scrubs.

UPMC Perks:
The UPMC Perks program provides discounts on a variety of services, merchandise, and experiences offered exclusively to UPMC employees, such as:

  • Car insurance
  • Theme parks
  • Sporting events
  • National retailers

Fitness Facility:
Residents may utilize the fitness area on the 5th floor of the Mercy Professional Office Building at no cost. Additionally, residents have free access to the University of Pittsburgh Trees Hall fitness facilities.

Wellness:
In addition to the fitness areas, residents have full access to wellness resources such as the Resident and Fellow Assistance Program, Physicians for Physicians, UPMC Physician THRIVE, Chat with the Chiefs, and other offerings by the program based on resident needs and input.

Moonlighting:
Moonlighting is permitted with approval of the program director and after obtaining appropriate licensure.

Tuition Reimbursement:
The UPMC tuition assistance benefit is available up to a maximum of $5,000 per academic year. The benefit also provides a tuition assistance at the University of Pittsburgh for dependent children and spouses for first baccalaureate degree only at 50% up to $6,000 maximum/year for dependent children (must be full-time student) and up to $2,000 maximum/year for spouse (full or part-time student).

View more information about the Tuition Assistance Program for Dependents of Staff Members (PDF).

UPMC ME Benefits and Stipends