Department of Medicine

Student Applicants for the Medicine Residency Program

Frequently Asked Questions

Location

We are located in Knoxville, TN at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Knoxville is situated in the Eastern Section of Tennessee and is home of the main University of Tennessee  campus with a current enrollment of approximately 25,000 students.

Application Process

All of our positions are filled for the 2008-2009 academic year.  We have an excellent group of new residents.. We only accept applications through ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service) which was developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Our application deadline for the academic year beginning July 1, 2009 is December 2008. We participate in the NRMP (National Residency Matching Program) and do not usually offer positions outside the match. We discourage applications from graduates that have been out of medical school longer than two years. If you have a circumstance that may require special consideration, please call or email.

International Medical Graduates

We accept non-US medical school graduate applications through ERAS. Foreign graduates must pass USMLE step one and two and be ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates) certified. The University of Tennessee Medical Center accepts the J-1 Visa. We do not admit H-1 or H-1b visa holders.

We only accept candidates from "off-shore" medical schools approved by the State of Tennessee for full medical licensure.

Position Availability

We are are currently accepting ERAS applications for PGY-1 positions that will begin in July 2009. Presently we have no other openings. There are 8 Internal Medicine positions available per year.

Externships or Observerships

Due to legal and HIPPA regulations, we do not offer observerships or externships.

Program length

The categorical Internal Medicine program is three years. Under the Department of Medicine is a one year transitional program. A three year cardiology fellowship began July 2007 and a two year pulmonary fellowhip was recently ACGME approved. The first class started July 2008.

Program Start date

The first year residents arrive for an orientation day, foundational curricula, ACLS course, PALS course, and computer education the last work week in June. The residency program officially starts each year on July 1.

Primary Teaching Location

The primary site for all hospital rotations and most electives is on the campus of the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, TN. The educational building is attached to the hospital and houses the Department office, Resident's office, and classroom. The Department of Medicine classroom is fully equipped with a DLP, internet and cable access, audience response system, on-line hospital X-ray and lab viewing. There is no VA medical center and no US government affiliation.

Program Completion Rate

Our completion rate (successful completion of the entire three year program) over the past three years is over 96%.

Salary and Benefits

Please follow this link for salary and benefit information. Benefits include free parking, on-call meal allowance, major medical and disability insurance (resident shares cost). We also have a CME allowance of up to $1,500 for PGY II or III residents to cover CME or approved research presentations. Also covered is MKSAP for PGY II residents. Vacation is three weeks/year and 12 days of accrued sick time/year.

Certification

We are certified by the ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) for a maximum of 27 Internal Medicine Residents. (The total number of residents at the Knoxville campus is 188.) We are fully approved, with our site visit just completed in August 2008.

Resident Letter of Agreement

This is a letter (used in place of a contract) that all residents need to agree to and sign before starting our program. The NRMP requires applicants to be informed of conditions of employment prior to the Match. Before ranking any program it is suggested to read the program's Agreement Letter. Please call Sissy Ensor at the number below if there are any questions.

Advice

At a Clerkship directors of Internal Medicine National meeting held October 2004, several Internal Medicine Residency Program directors gave advice on how to apply to their IM programs. (One of the Program directors was from a very competitive program in NYC; most IM residency programs are not as stringent.)

More information

Please see the American Medical Association web site for our listing under FREIDA online program information. Feel free to e-mail Sissy Ensor or call the department at 865-305-9340.