About The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center
Sponsored by The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center (HSC), the region’s only academic medical center, our institution welcomed our first class of Internal Medicine residents to Tyler in July 2020. Through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, 20 categorical residents started their training with a total resident complement of 60 being present by 2022. Our UT Health East Texas – Tyler Internal Medicine Residency Program exists amongst other residency training programs in General Surgery, Family Medicine, Occupational Medicine, and Psychiatry. As the governing body, the Graduate Medical Education Committee at HSC provides oversight to these sponsored residency programs and has decades of experience in directing successful graduate medical education programs which continue to produce highly competent and accomplished graduates each year. Backed by the University of Texas System, the leadership at HSC and UT Health East Texas are determined to leave a large footprint on the landscape of medical education, healthcare delivery, and innovative research in East Texas.
About UT Health East Texas and Clinical Sites
The UT Health East Texas Internal Medicine Residency Program is based at the UT Health Tyler hospital which is located within the heart of Tyler’s midtown medical community. UT Health Tyler hospital is the flagship facility of the UT Health East Texas system and serves as the hub of the region’s 10 hospital system, over 50 outpatient clinics, and over 600 physicians who serve over 1 million East Texans. As a 501 bed comprehensive medical facility with level 1 trauma center, the UT Health Tyler hospital serves the region’s diverse patient population. The medical staff includes general internal medicine, hospitalists, and the full complement of medical subspecialty faculty who are eager to invest in training future physicians in both the outpatient and inpatient settings. UT Health Tyler hospital is the primary location for all inpatient rotations and electives. The resident Continuity Clinic is located at the Family Circle of Care – West Gentry Health Center, and additional ambulatory clinic sites are located at the UT Health North Campus as well as local private clinic offices, all of which are within a short 15 minute commute from UT Health Tyler.
About The Program
UT Health East Texas Internal Medicine residents experience a “hands on” approach to patient care while developing very close relationships with their supervising faculty. With the large breadth of pathology observed within our patient population, residents will have the opportunity for “first line” exposure to patient care and medical procedures in a collegial learning environment under the supervision of our accomplished faculty who value education, teaching and providing the highest quality and most advanced patient care practices available. Residents will have the opportunity to learn in an environment that prioritizes their education and benefit from a 4+2 block schedule with night float that emphasizes focused learning time and didactics as well as values their physical and emotional wellbeing. Opportunities in quality improvement as well as clinical and basic science research are also available.
Scholarly Activity
Scholarly activity through quality improvement projects and clinical or basic science research is strongly supported. Each spring, HSC holds an annual Scholarly Activity Day, during which residents from all the institution’s GME programs present their quality improvement or research projects. With strong faculty support, internal medicine residents complete at least one quality improvement or research project and present their findings during the Scholarly Activity Day prior to graduation. Residents are also encouraged to submit their projects for publication or presentation at local, state, and national conferences. During the Ambulatory Block residents also participate in quality improvement workshops, learning the basics of Lean Six Sigma and the DMAIC method of quality improvement.
Resident Wellness
HSC places a strong emphasis on the wellbeing of all faculty, residents, and staff, having an institutional Wellbeing Committee which convenes regularly to ensure adequate wellness resources are available. The Tyler Internal Medicine residents also have formed a program Resident Wellness Committee. This committee administers a quarterly anonymous wellness survey, monitoring the overall wellbeing of the program as well as gaining innovative suggestions for wellness activities which occur on a regular basis throughout the year. Some previous wellness activities have
included team-based scavenger hunts, resident picnics, and tai chi sessions. In addition to the wellness survey, the program holds quarterly Town Hall meetings where the residents can provide feedback and make suggestions for program improvement.
About Tyler
Tyler is a culturally diverse city of over 100,000 people with an excellent cost of living that is well below that of larger cities, being situated just 90 miles east of Dallas and within only a few hours of Houston, Austin, and other Texas metropolitan areas. Tyler is known to outdoor enthusiasts for its beautiful countryside while also boasting excellent shopping, restaurants, and a number of arts and educational venues. With its charm and hospitality, it does not take long to fall in love with East Texas and all that it has to offer.