The Department of Medicine’s mission statement reads:  “The Faculty of the Department of Medicine of the John A. Burns School of Medicine joins their colleagues in their desire to enhance the quality of medical care available to the People of Hawaii by providing medical education in Internal Medicine.  Engaging in research and assisting in the provision of community-based and community-oriented health care.”  “Our vision is to become an ohana (family), characterized by teamwork and mutual respect in a supportive learning environment.  We envision a future in which we are integrated with the community, responsive and adaptive to change, and internationally renowned for excellence in patient care and in the quality of our residents, faculty and medical education.”

The Department’s faculty are committed to its teaching programs for medical students and Internal Medicine residents and fellows:

M.D. PROGRAM:   The John A. Burns School of Medicine switched from a traditional, teacher-oriented, lecture-based curriculum to an innovative, student-centered, problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum in 1989.  Medicine’s faculty play major roles as Co-Chair of Units 1 (Problems in Health and Illness - Introduction to Problem-Based Learning) and 2 (Respiratory, Cardiovascular, Renal Problems) of the School’s MD Program Curriculum; Chair and Co-Chair the Clinical Skills Program; Co- Chairs the Community Medicine Program; Chairs the MD Program Committee; Chairs the Unit Chairs Committee; serves as Director of the Center for Clinical Skills; Problem-Based Tutors for Units 1 and 2; Clinical Skills Preceptors; Community Medicine Preceptors; and are resource presentors for Units 1-5. 

Unit 6, Medicine Clerkship, consists of 3 11-week blocks for the third-year clerks in Internal Medicine and is based on a 5 1/2-week inpatient and 5 1/2-week ambulatory rotation.  The third-year clerks are in small group tutorials; meet with clinical skills preceptors in an ambulatory setting; participate in  professorial rounds with senior faculty; ambulatory care preceptors serve as “resource persons”; and as members of the medical team care units, they are “on call” during their inpatient experience.

Unit 6L, Longitudinal Clerkship, represents an innovative alternative that students can request. This format consists of 6 months of outpatient training in all 6 clinical disciplines by taking 1 or 2 half-day clinics each week in each discipline.  The other 6 months is based on 4-week mini- blocks of full-time inpatient training in Surgery, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, OB/Gyn and an 8-week block of Internal Medicine.

Unit 7, Fourth Year Program (Career Differentiation), consists of 35 required weeks of course work which allows the students to prepare for their preferred careers beyond medical school.  Required components include 4-weeks of Emergency Medicine, 3-weeks of Senior Seminars, and 28 weeks of open electives.  The Department offers 19 subspecialty electives at 51 sites.

INTERNAL MEDICINE RESIDENCY PROGRAM:   Internal Medicine Residents rotate among three affiliated community hospitals during their three years of Internal Medicine training.  The program includes ambulatory training in block and continuity experiences, with the resident managing the care of a panel of patients with acute illnesses, chronic illnesses and illnesses resulting from psycho social factors.  In addition, there is strong focus on Preventive Medicine.

Mandatory subspecialty rotations include Critical Care Medicine, Cardiology, Pulmonary Disease and Oncology.  Selected rotations are available in Neurology, Nephrology, Gastroenterology and Endocrinology at the University of Hawaii, Tripler Army Medical Center and for some residents at Stanford University Hospital.  Elective rotations often include office-based preceptorships with clinical faculty.  The variety of settings in which the electives occur exposes the resident to a broad picture of different practice styles and plans.

By combining the best features of the Pacific Basin cultures with the most advanced medical and educational technologies, the program prepares physicians for successful careers as Primary Care Internists.

FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS:    Fellowship training if available to Primary Care Internists who are interested in Academic Primary Care Internal Medicine or in a particular focus of primary care that requires special training.

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS:   The Department is committed to the development of a system of healthcare that is non-hierarchical and multi-disciplinary as one mechanism of facilitating such development.  It will participate in educational efforts to teach students, residents and faculty how to function in such a system.

RESEARCH:   The development of interrelated research programs is a fundamental priority for the Department.  It will integrate research efforts into existing and planned areas of excellence which are fundamental parts of General Internal Medicine.  These include:

1. Medical Education
2. Biomedical Sciences
3. Prevention/Epidemiology
4. International Medicine
5. Health Services Research
6. Decision Sciences
7. Medical Ethics

PATIENT CARE SERVICES:    The Department will pursue and encourage the development of partnerships with community-based health centers in their efforts to deliver care to the communities they serve.  These partnerships will include all the components of the Department’s mission, i.e., Education, Research and Multi-disciplinary Patient Care.  

This site was prepared to provide information and does not constitue a contract. The Department of Medicine reserves the right to change or delete, supplement, or otherwise amend at any time and without prior notice the information, requirements, and policies contained in this site. The information contained in this site is available in an alternative format upon request.