Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency

Internal Medicine Pediatrics Residency Header 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 rates are above the national average. We offer residents robust training experience in both community and academic hospital settings, including complex/rare conditions.

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.

Our internal medicine/pediatric residency program has a long-standing testimony to our commitment to academic excellence and achievement:

We are fully accredited by the ACGME, as well as our sponsoring internal medicine and pediatrics programs.
One third of our program graduates have completed fellowships in subspecialties such as adolescent medicine, infectious disease, rheumatology, adult and pediatric hematology/onccology, cardiology and more.
Our board pass rates are above the national average.
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.

For more information, contact:

Richard Switzer, MD, Program Director
Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency Program
221 Michigan NE, Suite 402
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Pam Hritzkowin, Program Administrator
Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency Program
221 Michigan NE, Suite 402
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Phone: 616.391.3776
Email: pamela.hritzkowin@spectrumhealth.org

Our pediatric residency program is based at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, a world-class facility. We are a four year program with a total of 16 residents, matching four new residents each year. Residents are fully integrated into both internal medicine and pediatric programs, but have a unique identity as med/peds residents in the hospital.

Large service area – 46 Michigan Counties
38,000 annual admissions
1,200 NICU admissions annually
Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center
111,000 patients per year to emergency department
41,000 patient visits per year to the pediatric emergency department
Spectrum Health Cancer Center at Lemmen-Holton Cancer Pavilion–700,000 square foot outpatient cancer center with advanced imaging infusion center
Over 100 heart specialists on staff
Over 10,000 heart patients per year
Heart & lung transplant programs
80 bed MICU including medical, surgical, neuro and cardiothoracic

Research
The scholarly activity support team has developed several tools and resources that will help residents and fellows develop ideas into manageable and realistic research projects. For example, the research project outline facilitates the translation of a good idea into a research project, provides the bulk of the narrative portion of IRB application, and serves as the guide for implementing the project.

For research support, the scholarly activity support team can assist you. The scholarly activity support team also offers biostatistics consultation, and poster preparation. Residents will be expected to submit their work for presentation at an institutional Research Day.

Academic Excellence

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
Board pass rate over the national average
Annual Research Day highlighting resident scholarly activities
Numerous monthly multispecialty boards such as lung cancer, tumor, pediatric neuroradiology
Teaching and supervision Michigan State University medical students
Quality & safety committees for both hospitals
Morning report
Morbidity & mortality conferences
Procedure skills labs/sim labs

We participate in the National Residency Matching Program. Our code is 2077700C0.

Applications and the following documents are accepted only through the Electronic Residency Application Service. We require:

Good communication skills
Should have scores of 220 or higher on both step 1 and step 2 of the USMLE on your first attempt
Three letters of recommendation
Must pass the CS exam on the first attempt.
Recent clinical experience within the United States
Graduation from medical school within the past three years
All applicants must possess U.S. work authorization or be eligible for J-1 status
DO applicants: We prefer USMLE Steps 1 and 2 but will accept COMLEX 1 and 2. Step 2 exam results are encouraged, but not required prior to your interview. Results for Step 2 CK and Step 2 CS exam must be available to be considered for ranking.

Spectrum Health provides a comprehensive and very competitive benefits package for our residents, staff and their families. In addition, our program provides educational monies to support your ongoing education. Download our salary and benefits document to learn more.

About West Michigan

Grand Rapids was named one of The New York Times 52 Places to Go in 2016. It's known as Beer City USA and is home to one of the world's top festivals. Grand Rapids, Michigan is all of this and so much more - a city with unforgettable experiences made easy, affordable and friendly. Learn more about West Michigan on our community information page.