Our Educational Curriculum

Each academic year begins with an orientation and bootcamp tailored to the resident’s level of training. Sessions focus on the knowledge, skills, and responsibilities residents need to succeed in their upcoming year, with increasing emphasis on autonomy, leadership, supervision, and clinical decision-making as residents progress through the program.

Faculty-led didactic sessions provide residents with a structured approach to the core topics of internal medicine. Each month is organized around an organ system theme, allowing residents to develop a comprehensive foundation while reinforcing related concepts across multiple educational formats. Sessions emphasize clinically relevant, evidence-based information that residents can apply directly to patient care.

Resident Report uses case-based, interactive learning to strengthen clinical reasoning and medical decision-making. Residents work through diagnostic and management challenges alongside their peers and faculty, with an emphasis on developing thoughtful differential diagnoses, interpreting clinical data, and approaching complex patient presentations.

Weekly Board Review will provide dedicated preparation for the ABIM certification examination and will be centered around each month’s organ system theme. Board-style questions and interactive discussion will reinforce concepts introduced through didactics, Resident Report, Journal Club, and clinical experiences. By integrating board preparation into the monthly curriculum, residents will repeatedly encounter high-yield topics in different formats, strengthening knowledge retention while building familiarity and confidence with board-style questions throughout residency.

Journal Club will teach residents how to critically evaluate medical literature and translate evidence into patient care. Early sessions will focus on developing foundational skills in interpreting study design, methodology, statistics, and clinical relevance. As residents progress, they will assume increasing responsibility for selecting articles and leading Journal Club discussions. Studies will be chosen based on relevant clinical experiences, questions encountered in patient care, and newly published literature that may influence clinical practice . This approach will encourage residents to remain current with evolving evidence while developing the skills needed to practice evidence-based medicine throughout their careers.

Grand Rounds will expose residents to a broad range of topics across internal medicine and its subspecialties, including evolving clinical practices, emerging evidence, and complex patient care. In addition to locally offered educational sessions, residents will have access to Grand Rounds through Cooper University Hospital in Camden, our tertiary care academic center . This connection will allow residents to learn from subspecialty faculty and experts across the Cooper Health system and gain exposure to complex cases, cutting-edge developments, and perspectives from a tertiary care environment. By combining the close-knit learning environment of a community-based program with the educational resources of a major academic center, residents will benefit from the strengths of both community and academic medicine.

Morbidity & Mortality (M&M) Conference will provide a supportive forum for residents to examine challenging cases and identify opportunities to improve patient care. Residents will learn to perform root cause analyses, identify clinical and systems-based issues, and develop practical solutions that can lead to real-time change and quality improvement initiatives. Through progressive autonomy, residents will take increasing ownership of case selection, analysis, and presentation, with conferences ultimately becoming resident-led with faculty moderation.

Simulation, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), and point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) experiences will provide residents with hands-on opportunities to translate medical knowledge into clinical practice in a safe, supportive learning environment. Sessions will focus on developing skills in clinical decision-making, communication, procedures, acute care, and bedside ultrasound, with opportunities for direct observation and individualized feedback. Experiences will complement the monthly organ system themes, allowing residents to apply and reinforce concepts introduced through other educational activities. Through progressive autonomy, sessions will increase in complexity as residents advance, helping them build the skills, confidence, and independence needed for clinical practice.

Every other month, residents will participate in a fully protected Academic Half Day dedicated to immersive, hands-on learning. These sessions will expand upon the monthly organ system curriculum through simulation, OSCEs, POCUS, procedural training, and other interactive experiences that benefit from extended practice time. Residents will have the opportunity to apply knowledge in realistic clinical scenarios, practice skills in a safe environment, and receive direct, individualized feedback from faculty. Sessions will increase in complexity throughout training, promoting progressive autonomy while building clinical competence, confidence, teamwork, and communication skills.

As a new residency program, we recognize that resident feedback will be instrumental in shaping our growth. Monthly PEC meetings will provide residents and faculty with a dedicated forum to discuss what is working well, identify areas for improvement, and address concerns in real time. Residents will be encouraged to bring forward ideas and participate in meaningful changes, giving them an active role in building and continuously improving the residency program.

Resident wellness will be intentionally incorporated into protected educational time , with activities focused on connection, team building, reflection, and maintaining well-being throughout residency. Programming will be shaped by resident interests and feedback and will provide opportunities to build community, develop strategies for managing the challenges of residency, and foster a supportive program culture.