Career Development - Internal Medicine

Subspecialties include but not limited to:

• Addiction Medicine
• Allergy and Immunology
• Cardiology (with further training for Adult Congenital Heart Disease, Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology, Cardiac Electrophysiology, Interventional Cardiology)
• Endocrinology
• Gastroenterology (with further training for Advanced Endoscopy, Hepatology and Transplant Medicine)
• Geriatric Medicine
• Hematology and Medical Oncology
• Hepatology
• Hospice and Palliative Medicine
• Infectious Disease
• Nephrology
• Obesity Medicine
• Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine (with further training for Interventional Pulmonology)
• Rheumatology
• Sleep Medicine
• Wound care and Hyperbaric Medicine.

Qualities recognized as important to internal medicine include:

• Strong teamwork and interpersonal skills
• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Commitment to lifelong learning

We have over 100 faculty in the department of medicine, and there are research opportunities available in most areas. 

Additionally, students may want to pursue research opportunities through the DeBakey Scholars Program. This program offers medical students the opportunity to pursue and complete a longitudinal, structured, closely supervised research experience culminating in a capstone presentation prior to graduation. For more information, contact Dr. Derek Pociask.

The Tulane University Research Network also offers a list of active ongoing projects in the School of Medicine.

The C. Thorpe Ray Society is dedicated to promoting the ideals and interests of the field of Internal Medicine through both social and academic functions. Participation in this organization provides students with additional opportunities to pursue an interest and increase knowledge in the field of Internal Medicine. Group functions also provide students with the opportunity to interact with the Internal Medicine faculty on an informal basis. The Society’s monthly academic meetings cover a broad range of topics that allow for learning and discussion of issues important to Internal Medicine. Through participation, students become more prepared for their clinical experiences in the field of Internal Medicine. The old tradition of the morning report has taken on new form as part of the Society’s yearlong series of luncheons, round-table discussions, and increasingly, interactive problem solving sessions. Social events hosted by the C. Thorpe Ray Society include the Annual Wine & Cheese party and a Residency Match Panel. 

Dr. Kristin Bateman

Dr. Abigail Byrne

T3: Students complete the Core Internal Medicine Clerkship. There they will rotate on a hospital medicine team and gain exposure to various diseases and work with subspecialists. Additionally, they will have 2 weeks of ambulatory time including work in primary care as well as subspecialty clinics. 

T4: As a T4 who is interested in applying to IM residency, completing your acting internship (AI) rotation in IM is strongly encouraged, ideally between May and August of T4 year. While not required, a critical care rotation, such as Medical ICU, can be beneficial in preparing for residency. Aside from these rotations, choose any rotations that appeal to you. Aside from the AI, elective choice will not affect residency application.

Sample-T4-MED-Schedule.pdf

One of the most common questions we get asked is “How do I know if I’m competitive for this specialty?” There are a lot of metrics that are provided by sources like the NRMP’s Charting Outcomes report that can help you gauge whether you are a competitive applicant, and help guide your choices of activities. 

The table below shows the 25^th percentile, the median and the 75^th percentile for a number of the more regularly used metrics to gauge competitiveness. It’s important for you to understand what these numbers represent, and why they may be different from the averages you might see elsewhere.

• The 25^th percentile represents the lower range of “normal” for a successful applicant in this specialty.
• The median represents an average for successful applicants in this specialty.
• The 75^th percentile represents the higher range of “normal” for a successful applicant in this specialty.

Medical students are usually over-achievers, who have exceeded expectations throughout their educational years. However, it’s important to realize that overachievement is not always a good thing when it comes to match. Instead, you should aim for “fit.” This means that you should fall somewhere between the 25^th and 75^th percentile on these metrics. Below the 25^th percentile, and you have a relatively low chance of match (25% chance, to be specific). Above the 75^th percentile, and you also have a lower chance of matching (again, 25% chance), as program directors are typically looking for candidates who “fit” their profiles more so than those who exceed those profiles.

Between the 25^th and 75^th percentiles is the sweet spot. This range spans 50% of successful applicants, with only 25% of successful applicants falling above the 75^th percentile and 25% of successful applicants falling below the 25th percentile. The closer you fall to the median (i.e., the 50^th percentile), the better! This doesn’t mean you’re average, but rather that you are fitting the demands of this specialty!

A note about medians vs. means as a measure of “average”: We use medians to determine competitiveness rather than means for a simple reason. Medians are not as warped as means by outliers, or those successful candidates who fall very much outside the average on a particular measure. You may have heard that the “average” Step 2 score or number of publications for a specialty are incredibly high (or low), and you may wonder how it’s even possible to hit this “average.” These unrealistic “averages” are typically means that have been influenced by just a very small number of people who have incredibly high (or low) scores or numbers of publications, and often those high numbers of publications in particular, are the result of having earned a research Ph.D. or having spent years in a research career! This is NOT the expectation, but rather an exception!

Due to an increase in dual applications, residency programs are trying to screen in applicants who have IM as their primary choice. As such, make sure to complete your AI during T4 summer. It is okay to have had other interests before deciding to apply in IM. You don’t necessarily need to exclude these from your application. However, you will want to talk about what you learned from these experiences that will make you a strong IM physician.

Important Advice

Applying to Internal Medicine is generally not competitive, provided you apply to a range of programs.

Try to develop a working relationship with one or more IM faculty who can give you feedback on various parts of your ERAS application, including your personal statement and places to apply.

AAMC Careers in Medicine

NRMP's Charting Outcomes in the Match 2026

NRMP's Program Director Survey 2024

Tulane’s Medicine Department

Determining the Optimal Number of Program Applications