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Our program follows an X+Y scheduling model, with three weeks dedicated to inpatient or elective rotations, followed by one week of ambulatory training (3+1). During the ambulatory “Y-week,” residents rotate through a mix of primary care continuity clinics and subspecialty clinic experiences, providing a well-rounded outpatient foundation. 

During the ambulatory Y-week, residents have:

  • Six half-days of clinic time 
  • Three half-days of protected didactic time 
  • A golden weekend
Primary Care — Sample Y Week Schedule
Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
AM Mindful Monday Continuity Clinic Continuity Clinic Continuity Clinic Academy
PM DSR Continuity Clinic Continuity Clinic Continuity Clinic Flex
Subspecialty — Sample Y Week Schedule
Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
AM Mindful Monday Subspecialty Clinic Subspecialty Clinic Subspecialty Clinic Academy
PM DSR Subspecialty Clinic Subspecialty Clinic Subspecialty Clinic Flex

Friday afternoons will be used as flex time either as admin time or specialty lectures or clinic depending on the Y week.

Residents will complete most of their training at UC Irvine’s new state-of-the-art medical center in Irvine, CA. This newly constructed, seven-story, 350,000-square-foot facility features 144 inpatient beds, 10 operating rooms and a full-service 24-hour emergency department. The new medical center is the nation’s first all-electric hospital, powered by a zero-emission central utility plant—no fossil fuels used for heating, cooling or steam under normal operations.  

At this location, residents will cover three wards teams, one medicine consult service and one medical intensive care team. Irvine residents will also have select scheduled rotations at the UC Irvine–Orange campus, Orange County’s quaternary care and trauma center. 

Both hospitals are night float based, thus there are no 24 hour calls in the resident schedules.  

Primary Care


Our residents are assigned to an outpatient primary care mentor at the Joe C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care, a modern new ambulatory care center combining general internal medicine and subspecialty clinics. Their primary care mentor will serve as their continuity clinic attending throughout their entire three years of training to provide a longitudinal learning experience. Every Friday morning, interns and early PGY-2s will participate in primary care focused didactics covering the highest yield topics in outpatient general medicine. 

Subspecialty Clinics


As part of the ambulatory Y-week, residents will rotate through a variety of subspecialty clinics to work closely with specialty faculty and gain first-hand experience in those fields. As our major training site, the UC Irvine–Irvine medical campus brings together inpatient and outpatient care within multiple specialties, making it easy to have exposure to all facets of medical care. Our goal is to train well-rounded internists who will excel in any chosen career path whether additional fellowship training or generalist medicine. 

Electives     

Our residents are fortunate enough to have the entire UCI Health medical center spanning two separate hospital campuses available for electives! In addition to our prepared elective catalog, residents can arrange special electives on an individual basis, including external and international rotations. 

As part of our mission to produce versatile physicians, residents are required to rotate through the following mandatory electives. The remaining elective time is based on personal preferences. 

  • PGY-1: Geriatrics, Palliative & Hospice, Cardiology Consults  
  • PGY-2: Oncology, Medicine Consult & Addiction Medicine  
  • PGY-3: Neurology 
Sample Block Schedule
Block PGY-1 PGY-2 PGY-3
1 Geriatrics Wards Elective
Y Week Y Week Y Week
2 Wards ICU Wards
Y Week Y Week Y Week
3 ICU Oncology Elective Night Admitting
Y Week Y Week Y Week
4 Elective Wards Elective
Y Week Y Week Y Week
5 Wards Night Admitting Wards
Y Week Y Week Y Week
6 Night Float Elective Orange ICU
Y Week Y Week Y Week
7 Palliative & Hospice Wards Elective
Y Week Y Week Y Week
8 Wards Emergency Med Medicine Consults
Y Week Y Week Y Week
9 UCI Orange ICU Elective ICU
Y Week Y Week Y Week
10 Elective Medicine Consults Neuro
Y Week Y Week Y Week
11 Wards Orange CCU Elective
Y Week Y Week Y Week
12 Cardiology Consults Electives Wards
Y Week Y Week Y Week
13 Electives Wards Electives

Pathways

In conjunction with the UC Irvine–Orange Internal Medicine Residency Program, our residents have the opportunity to apply to one of several pathways after their intern year. These tracks allow like-minded individuals to personalize their training and focus extra time on certain aspects of medicine. Two pathways are currently available; however, more are coming soon. 

  • Lifestyle Medicine (Available currently) 
  • Medical Education (Available currently) 
  • Ultrasound (upcoming) 
  • Medical Informatics (upcoming) 

The Department of Medicine has more than 300 research protocols that represent the entire spectrum of medicine, including basic science, clinical trials, healthcare policy and outcomes and translational medicine. Our principal investigators hold nearly $40 million in awards, including prestigious National Institutes of Health and other federally funded grants.   

With our unique location adjacent to the UC Irvine campus, our residents are well-placed to participate in cutting-edge research across a variety of specialties and fields. All residents will participate in a research and quality improvement curriculum where they will learn how to critically evaluate literature as well as apply evidence-based medicine to their daily practice. Residents with further interest can involve themselves in one of a number of active research projects ongoing within the UCI Health medical campus.  

Residents will be able to partake in a research elective during their PGY-2 or PGY-3 year.