Program Overview

The Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residency began at our institution in 1986. Many of our residents have gone on to join primary care Med-Peds practices, pursue fellowships or academic careers, or become hospitalists (See Alumni page). We are fully accredited with the ACGME as are the categorical programs in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. We have many strengths including a number of faculty with Med-Peds training, a very successful combined Med-Peds clinic, a diverse patient population to care for and learn from, strong support for the program from both departments, and a great group of residents who are committed to their patients, their learning, and the program.

The Med-Peds curriculum provides a cohesive planned educational experience by not simply training residents in both internal medicine and pediatrics, but by training them to become practitioners capable of treating both adults and children in a combined practice, moving effortlessly between the two disciplines, and drawing on the strengths of each discipline in the care of all patients regardless of age. The Med-Peds curriculum is a four-year program with residents switching between disciplines every 4 or 5 months. A 16-month internship provides an introduction to the care of patients in every area in both disciplines. Residents develop their basic clinical skills in the examination and management of patients, the foundation of their medical knowledge, and they refine their communication and professional competency. Senior residents’ curriculum has three components; reinforcement and further training in the core patient care areas, introduction and exposure to subspecialty disciplines, and an opportunity for each resident to shape their curriculum to meet their individual career goals through elective rotations.

MED-PEDS

A final focus of the curriculum is on the integration of the training that the residents are receiving in both medicine and pediatrics. Residents are taught this integration through their continuity clinic training, through required rotations in community-based combined Med-Peds practices, and through combined Med-Peds conferences.

ECU Health Medical Center is the primary training hospital for our residency program. With over 1400 beds, the hospital serves as the only hospital in Greenville and Pitt County and as the tertiary care center for 29 counties in Eastern North Carolina for 1.3 million people. Construction of a three-floor addition to our Children’s Hospital was completed in 2013 and includes Special Care Nursery (21-bed step down unit from NICU), PDAY unit (10-bed unit for chemotherapy, infusions, sedation, dialysis, procedures, and observation), and KISU (specialized 6-bed isolation unit for Heme-Onc, Renal, and other patients needing isolation). The Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Tower at ECU Health Medical Center is a 418,000 square-foot facility that opened in 2018 and houses both inpatient and outpatient cancer services under one roof. We are also excited about the partnership between ECU Health and Acadia Healthcare to open a state-of-the-art, 144-bed behavioral health hospital in Greenville slated to open in Spring 2025 to better serve the mental healthcare needs of our patients here in Eastern North Carolina.

Adult and Pediatric Health Care is the site of the Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatric Clinic. This free standing, fully independent Med-Peds practice provides primary care to patients of all ages. All Med-Peds residents attend a combined continuity clinic weekly with a personal panel of patients to follow longitudinally at this clinic. Supervision is by Med-Peds trained faculty.

Both departments offer a comprehensive schedule of conferences that complement the learning opportunities provided in patient care. These conferences include morning reports in several clinical settings, noon resident lecture series, and weekly Grand Rounds on each service. In addition, each resident is expected to complete a scholarly project under the supervision of a faculty mentor during the course of their training.

The combined program at ECU has the advantage of being small enough to provide for personal mentoring and close relationships between faculty and residents. Scholarly activities are emphasized and faculty subspecialists are available in almost all areas. The faculty is composed of a variety of enthusiastic, dedicated teachers who interact with the residents on a daily basis and have an open-door policy to encourage a free exchange of ideas and an excellent educational environment.

We invite you to learn more about our program by reviewing the information on this website. Additional information can be found by exploring the GME website for prospective residents.