Preliminary Medicine Program

Many subspecialty trainees in the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Morristown Memorial Hospital choose a preliminary year to acquire an in-depth experience in internal medicine. We are committed to providing preliminary interns the strongest possible training in this field. Our categorical and preliminary intern years are very similar, but the preliminary schedule has greater flexibility, so that interns can gain exposure to areas relevant to their future careers.

The table below compares sample schedules for the current academic year. The year is divided into 13 four-week blocks.

*Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Cardiac Care Unit (CCU)

**Preliminary residents who choose a weekly continuity clinic may instead use the “ambu-block” for an additional elective relevant to their career of choice.

Floors
Floor rotations at Morristown Memorial Hospital are separated into Service Teams and Ward Teams. Each intern's schedule is divided approximately equally between the two types. Learn more about our rotations> 

Continuity Clinic
The opportunity to be exposed to ambulatory medicine is one of the strengths of our preliminary year. Shorter hospital stays and rapid transitions into outpatient settings demand that physicians be able to follow their patients from the hospital into recovery. Preliminary year exposure to outpatient care may provide insights into less serious illnesses and chronic disease management that inpatient settings cannot duplicate. Past graduates of our Preliminary Medicine Training Program report they are better prepared than many of their colleagues to care for patients because of their strong training in both inpatient and outpatient medicine.