How does the 5 day cycle work?

Short Call:	Maximum 6 admissions (maximum 3 per intern)
	or until 3 p.m., whichever comes first.
Clinic Day:	No scheduled admissions
	Clinic begins at 1:45 p.m.
Long Call:	3 p.m. - 7 a.m.
	Maximum 10 admissions (maximum 5 per intern)
	Or until 7 a.m., whichever comes first.
Post Call:	No admissions
	Residents must sign out no later than 30 hrs after their shift begins.
Clinic Day:	See previous - no scheduled admissions.

Who makes up 'my team'?
Your team is usually made up of your attending, a PGY2 or 3 resident, 2 interns, and either a 3rd or 4th year medical student.

What is the patient population?
We see a variety of medical illnesses. One of the great things is that we get to do a great deal of diagnostic workups for previously undiagnosed disorders. It is very rare that you would have a patient admitted with the diagnosis already made. We don't have any subspecialty inpatient services - you will admit Neurology patients, Cardiology patients, Heme-Onc patients all are admitted to general medicine. You will see it all as it is meant to be and it will be how you admit patients in real life! It is up to your team to decide if you want a subspecialty consultant to assist you with patient management.

Who gives me approval to order diagnostic tests, etc?
Your team, led by your attending, will make these decisions. If you feel a patient needs an important radiologic study, such as an MRI or a PET scan, you simply write the order. You don't need a radiology approval for these studies. If you feel a certain antibiotic is indicated, you order it. We don't require ID approval, etc. We pride ourselves on giving you the autonomy you need to take care of your patients, with strong guidance and support from the faculty.

Who will I see in clinic?
When at our Myers Park facility, you will see your own continuity panel of patients that you will get to know during your time with us. We also encourage you to see your patients in hospital follow-up after they have been discharged for continuity of care. Interns will not see more than 3-4 patients in a half-day, and all their patients will be seen and examined by an attending for the first six months of the year.

What is the average inpatient census?
This will vary depending on the time of year. Often the busiest months of the year are the winter months, and the census will rarely be as high as 20-22 patients (10-11 per intern). Most of the time, however, the average census is much more like 6-14; this comes to 3-7 patients per intern. The number may also be less if you have a 4th year medical student working as an Acting Intern on your team.

In general, the inpatient consult services have very reasonable census numbers. Gastroenterology and Infectious Disease tend to be the busiest - with average numbers running from 6-12. Many of the others tend to have low numbers of patients in the hospital, and most of the patients are seen in the outpatient arena.