Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency
The Spectrum Health/Michigan State University Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency program is designed to prepare you for a career either as a primary care physician or to provide you with a foundation for subspecialty training. We are a four-year program, accepting four residents annually. Upon completion, residents will be board-eligible in both internal medicine and pediatrics and well equipped to sit for board certifying examinations in each area.
Our program is ACGME accredited and our board pass rate is 95% on both the American Board of Internal Medicine and America Board of Pediatrics certifying examination. We offer residents robust training experience in both community and academic hospital settings, including complex/rare conditions.
From the Program Director
It's about you! Development and discovery are the fundamental forces behind the Spectrum Health/Michigan State University Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency program at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital. We strive to create an educational atmosphere where medical knowledge is learned, patient management skills are honed, and discovery of your calling is revealed.
Our program began in 1985 in response to a desire of medical students to obtain a significant depth and breadth of training that would allow for a number of career options ranging from primary care to fellowship training. We found that many fourth-year medical students have not decided on a career path or change their plans in the first several years of residency. Therefore, we structured our curriculum to allow for broad exposure early in training, so that you can work with hospitalists, subspecialists as well as outpatient primary care med/peds physicians. The educational experience is also enhanced by the diverse populations we serve. The clinic population is a range of patients from Hispanic, African American and European descents. Residents also rotate through private med/peds offices in suburban practices.
Grand Rapids, Michigan has long been known as a family-friendly place to live. Activities abound. Cultural activities include: theater, symphony and ballet. Lake Michigan beaches are an average of 30-minutes away. My favorite is the 60-minute drive to the Breslin Center in East Lansing to watch Coach Izzo and the MSU Spartan basketball team - hopefully to another final four appearance.
It has been a pleasure for me to serve as the med/peds program director since 1991. Our residents come from a wide variety of backgrounds and have chosen a variety of careers including: primary care, hospitalist, fellowship training, international medicine, underserved urban medicine and missionary medicine. Ultimately, it is about you! Come take a closer look at us and let us help you discover who you are and what you can become.
Richard Switzer, MD
Program Director
Resident Retreat
Mission Work
Mission work is very important to Dr. Switzer, Internal Medicine/Pediatrics program director. Yearly, he goes on a trip to Guatemala and encourages residents to join. Additionally, Pediatrics attendings regularly go on trips to Haiti and residents are encouraged to set up any international rotations they are interested in. In the last year, Pediatrics and Med/Peds residents have done rotations in Jordan, Haiti, Guatemala, Malawi and Costa Rica.
Here are some pictures from our Guatemala trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
- One third of our program graduates have completed fellowships in subspecialties, such as adolescent medicine, infectious disease, rheumatology, adult and pediatric hematology/oncology, cardiology and more.
- Our board pass is 95% on both certifying examinations
- Spectrum Health has a highly reputable med/peds presence in the community
- We offer robust training experience in both community and academic hospital settings, including world-class facilities and strong research support
| PGY1 | PGY2 | PGY3 | PGY4 | |
| Block 1 | IM Floors | Peds Heme/Onc | Newborn Nursery | Geriatrics |
| Block 2 | Cardiology Inpatient | Elective | Peds Floor Senior* | IM Floor Senior |
| Block 3 | Medical ICU* | Elective | Peds Elective | Peds Emergency** |
| Block 4 | Newborn Nursery | IM Floor Senior | Medical ICU * | Newborn Nursery |
| Block 5 | Peds Floors | IM Elective | Outpatient Cardiology | Peds Floor Senior* |
| Block 6 | Peds Elective | Pediatric ICU * | Elective | IM Elective |
| Block 7 | IM Floors | Adolescent Med | IM Floor Senior | IM Elective |
| Block 8 | IM Elective | Developmental/Behavioral | Peds Elective | IM Floor Senior |
| Block 9 | IM Emergency * | IM Elective | Neonatal ICU | IM Elective |
| Block 10 | IM Elective | IM Elective | MP Acute Care | Peds Elective |
| Block 11 | Neonatal ICU | Night Float*/IM Floor Senior | Peds Emergency** | Neonatal ICU |
| Block 12 | Peds Elective | IM Elective | Elective | MP Acute Care |
| Block 13 | Peds Floors | Night Float*/Swing Shift * | Elective | Peds Elective |
- MKSAP and PREP review sessions
- Monthly med/peds lectures
- Monthly journal clubs in both internal medicine and pediatrics programs
- Weekly grand rounds in both internal medicine and pediatrics programs
- Annual Research Day highlighting resident scholarly activities
- Numerous monthly multispecialty boards such as lung cancer, tumor, pediatric neuroradiology
- Teaching and supervision of Michigan State University medical students
- Quality & safety committees for both hospitals
- Morning report
- Morbidity & mortality conferences
- Procedure skills labs/sim labs
Application Statement
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the landscape for residency application, and removed travel barriers for interviewing. As a result, programs expect to receive up-to twice as many applications than in a prior years, yet have limited resources for application review during a shortened review period. We are concerned that overly broad application will limit our ability to give fair review to all, and will leave some applicants without opportunity at programs where they have genuine interest. To mitigate this, we request that applicants consider limiting their applications to no more than 20 programs. We also ask that applicants consider adding a paragraph to the end of their personal statement detailing their interest in our specific program - this is not mandatory, but may assist us in gauging applicant interest if the pool is large. We are committed to working with our applicants to find the best match for you and for us, and request your partnership over the next few months to ensure the process is fair and successful for all.
If you have any questions about the program or the application process, contact our program coordinator, Pam Hritzkowin, at pamela.hritzkowin@spectrumhealth.org.
Required application materials for US medical school graduates are as follows:
- Three letters of recommendation in support of your application from faculty with whom you have worked
- Dean's letter (MSPE) from your medical school
- Personal statement
- Curriculum vitae
- Official medical school transcript(s)
- Exam scores – 220 or higher on both Step I and II on first attempt
- USMLE Step II exam scores must be received prior to rank deadline to be considered for ranking
- DO applicants may submit COMPLEX scores in lieu of USMLE
Required application materials for international medical graduates are as follows:
- Three letters of recommendation in support of your application from faculty with whom you have worked
- Dean's letter (MSPE) from your medical school
- Personal statement
- Curriculum vitae
- ECFMG certification, including CSA exam results
- USMLE Steps I and II – 220 or higher on Step I and Step II on first attempt
- No failed scores on any USMLE Step exam
- Six weeks of US clinical experience, an observership does not count toward this clinical requirement
- All candidates must possess U.S. work authorization or be eligible for J-1 status
Visiting Learners
All visiting medical student applications must be submitted through the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities program. For more information on visiting medical student opportunities, please visit our Visiting Learner page.
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West Michigan - A Great Place to Call Home
As the second largest city in Michigan, Grand Rapids is an amazing place to work, live, play and explore. This vibrant city is known for some of the best festivals in the world, like ArtPrize, and is only a short 45 minute drive to Lake Michigan. The city has been recognized by numerous sources, including The New York Times, where Grand Rapids was ranked as one of the 52 Places to Go. Additionally, Thrillist consider Grand Rapids the best food city in the state of Michigan, and in 2018, Trulia chose Grand Rapids as the Hottest Real Estate Market to Watch in the country. Grand Rapids is a city with endless experiences for people of every age. Learn more.
Meet Our Faculty
Class of 2025
Class of 2024
Class of 2023
Class of 2022
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Get to know our residents
Our residents are a diverse group from a variety of backgrounds with unique experiences and interests. We look forward to getting to know you as well!
View a list of our alumni.