The majority of patients come from Arizona, surrounding states and the Midwest. Most hospitalized patients are treated for common conditions, such as congestive heart failure, sepsis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary embolus.

In general, our patient population is an older population, often with a history of malignancy or organ transplant, making our residents proficient at handling complex decisions. Residents are also exposed to and treat rare diseases in nearly every field. Often, patients are referred to Mayo Clinic for evaluation by renowned experts, bringing complex cases from outside institutions to higher levels of care.

Ethnic diversity among patients is widely abundant on rotations at Mayo Clinic facilities, VA Medical Center facilities, and during opportunities at safety-net clinics.

The intent of our Internal Medicine Residency is to produce proficient and competent physicians. Residents are directly responsible for their patients, and there is ownership and accountability in caring for each patient.

Our program relies on a team-based model to achieve these goals. On hospital wards, teams consist of two interns, a senior resident and a consulting physician. The intern evaluates the patient, then formulates and implements care management plans with the supervision and support of a senior resident and a consultant to provide top-level comprehensive care.

In the continuity clinic setting, each intern and resident is responsible for their own patient panel, directing comprehensive, ongoing care, again with supervision under consulting faculty. The level of autonomy incrementally increases as residents progress through training, and in the end, there is an exceptional balance of autonomy and independence, allowing our residents the opportunity to grow into competent and independent physicians.

Our residency program provides an excellent work-life balance while providing trainees with a solid foundation that serves graduates well into their future practice or fellowship. Residents and their families enjoy activities outside of the workplace afforded by the large Phoenix metropolitan area. Phoenix currently ranks as the fifth-largest city in the U.S., with 4.3 million people in the greater Phoenix area.

The city offers all of the cultural opportunities of a larger U.S. city, including access to professional sporting events, theater, arts, and various leisure activities such as shopping, golf and fine dining. Approximately 50 percent of our residents are married and often are raising a family. With a medium-sized program, residents are more than just colleagues — they are close friends, frequently interacting outside the work environment and reporting overall satisfaction with the work-life balance.