Salem Internal Medicine Residency Program

Overview

Welcome to the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Salem Hospital

Salem Hospital’s Historical Journey

Founded in 1873 through a local philanthropic effort, Salem Hospital was built in a historic place, full of traditions and innovations, to serve a very diverse socioeconomic and geographic community and since its inception has grown to be the largest healthcare provider on the North Shore of Massachusetts. Despite challenging times like the Great Salem Fire of 1914, or the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Salem Hospital has been able to provide uninterrupted, high quality, and ground-breaking medical service through its highly motivated providers and teachers to provide comprehensive care.

The teaching journey for Salem Hospital started in 1897, when a 13-nurse training program began. Almost 100 years later, in 1979, an Internal Medicine Residency Program was created to benefit the North Shore community. In 1985, the Residency Program became affiliated with Tufts University Medical School, and medical students started joining our inpatient rotations. Growing from its modest beginnings with 12 acute beds and only a handful of physicians, today Salem Hospital is a general medical and surgical hospital with 395 beds with nearly 600 physicians representing primary care, family practice, and more than 50 additional sub-specialties. Throughout its history of growth, the focus has always been on our people and our community, so it is no wonder that multiple alumni are still serving our community in Primary Care, Hospital Medicine, and multiple other specialties.

Our Program

The Internal Medicine Residency Program has grown over the years and is currently at 27 trainees, with 24 categorical Internal Medicine Residents and 3 Preliminary Medicine Interns.

The clinical rotation schedule is 4+1 format, allowing for robust inpatient and outpatient experiences. Mass General Brigham Medical Group includes primary care providers who serve as clinical preceptors, mentors, and guides, enriching the outpatient experience. Inpatient clinical rotations are primarily at Salem Hospital, the largest healthcare provider on the North Shore offering a wide range of services. Residents also rotate at MGH Neurology and Hospital Medicine Consult teams, where they are exposed to high acuity cases and state-of-the-art treatment facilities.

New educational experiences and opportunities have been and continue to be added to our education platform to accommodate the changing healthcare landscape, including but not limited to training in point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), improvement process curriculum, and interdisciplinary training in our state-of-the-art Simulation Center. Specifically, residents experience hands-on simulation training with peers, faculty, and interdisciplinary colleagues to learn procedures and sharpen their diagnostic skills. And through outstanding training in Process Improvement with thoughtful curriculum guided by Salem’s Kaizen Promotion Office Quality Specialists, residents earn an appreciation for system level thinking, teamwork, collaboration, and leadership. As a resident in our program, you have access to all Grands Rounds presented at any entity across the MGB systems, including our Academic Medical Centers, MGH and BWH. You will participate in shared noon conferences with the MGB departments of Rheumatology and Hematology, and conferences held by Harvard Medical School educators in Neurology, Dermatology, and Internal Medicine.

Individualized attention and resident voice

Residents are matched with mentors and coaches, as well as sponsors for projects they pursue. Resident voice and input are highly valued, respected, and incorporated as decisions are made. The Program Evaluation Committee, consisting of resident class representatives, faculty representatives, and program administration, is the main driver for our success and receives continued support from the leadership team. During our yearly Resident Recognition week, you will have the opportunity to meet the hospital leaders, interdisciplinary leaders, and colleagues.

When training with us in Internal Medicine at Salem Hospital, we will guide you to find your professional balance. Since our categorical residents come from a diverse pool of medical schools from around the world, we have developed processes to help with the transition, including at-elbow shadowing sessions with current residents and nurses, and personalized faculty support sessions. You will receive mentoring from peer residents and core faculty and have regular meetings with the IMRP leadership and department chiefs and chair. Together, we will help you find your career path and reach your long-term career goals through a diverse range of clinical rotations and ambulatory experiences. You will have direct interactions with attendings involved in patient care, to help clarify your chosen career path and bring joy to your heart for years to come.

Resident wellness and inclusivity

Resident wellness is a priority, not an afterthought. We intentionally cultivate a culture that recognizes the demands of residency while supporting balance, psychological safety, and professional fulfillment. Our program emphasizes mentorship, transparency, responsiveness to resident feedback, and access to wellness resources, with the goal of helping residents thrive both personally and professionally throughout training. We are committed to fostering an inclusive learning environment where residents from all backgrounds feel welcomed, respected, and supported. Equally important, we value who you are—not just what you know.

Salem Hospital is a proud, mission-driven community teaching hospital with a long tradition of excellence in patient care, education, and service. Our Internal Medicine Residency Program is built on the belief that outstanding physicians are trained in environments that value clinical rigor, compassionate care, equity, and belonging. We are deeply committed to educating internists who are skilled clinicians, thoughtful leaders, effective teachers, and advocates for their patients and communities. We look forward to meeting you and to partnering in your growth as a physician, colleague, and advocate—within a program where your voice, values, and well-being truly matter.

Requirements

Application Deadline: December 1st.

U.S. medical applicants should provide a curriculum vitae, Dean’s letter, medical school transcripts, and a United States Medical Licensing Examination (U.S.M.L.E.) transcript.

Required for obtaining a license

To assist you in obtaining a license, we highly recommend that you use FCVS to verify your medical school and other credentialswhich are necessary to apply for a medical license in Massachusetts as well as in many other states. This process can take months to complete and is dependent upon the responses from your medical school and other required entities, which is why the process should be started now.

International medical applicants:

We require graduation within five years of application.

In addition to providing a curriculum vitae, Dean’s letter, medical school transcripts and a U.S.M.L.E. transcript, international medical applicants must meet the following conditions:

• Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certified (it is preferable that you are certified by the time you apply, but no later than December 31st).
• U.S.M.L.E. Score of 220 or above on Step One and Step Two. Preferred Step Three completed.
• Three letters of recommendation from physicians who have supervised you in a clinical setting.

We facilitate the process of obtaining both J1 and H1B visas. For initiating H1B visa application, a notification of U.S.M.L.E. Step Three passing should be available no later than December 31st of the application cycle year.

Curriculum

Four week / Y week

Residents receive extensive training in hospital medicine, as well as medicine provided in an ambulatory setting. The internal medicine experience is both concentrated and enhanced by our 4+1 schedule format.

Residents spend four weeks on inpatient/ward rotations and the fifth week (aka Y Week) in ambulatory clinics. Residents will not have ward responsibilities during their Y week, which we believe facilitates a focused experience in ambulatory medicine and allows for "recharging".

1st year of internship

• 16 weeks inpatient medicine (telemetry/ general medicine)
• Seven weeks ICU
• Four weeks Night Float
• Five weeks electives
• 10 Y weeks with 60 sessions (1 session = half day) Continuity Clinic.
• Four weeks’ vacation
• Two weeks of emergency medicine
• Two weeks of palliative care
• One week of cardiology
• One week of pulmonary

This core curriculum prepares the categorical intern to advance to resident level, and the preliminary intern to get a well-rounded approach prior to their next step in training. At the end of the first year, residents have the tools to effectively manage patients and transition to a team leader.

2nd year of residency

• Two weeks Junior Hospitalist
• Four weeks inpatient medicine (telemetry/ general medicine)
• Eight weeks ICU
• Three weeks Night Float
• One week cardiology
• Four weeks neurology (MGH rotation)
• 11 weeks elective
• 10 Y weeks with 60 sessions (1 session = half day) Continuity Clinic
• Four weeks vacation
• Two weeks ID
• One week geriatric acute care
• Two weeks rheumatology

Our Neurology rotation is done at Massachusetts General Hospital and consists of acute stroke and general neurology consultations. At the end of the second year, residents become effective managers of complex patients (both in the ICU and outpatient setting) and are able to synthesize an efficient diagnosis and treatment plan.

3rd year of residency

• Seven weeks inpatient medicine (Telemetry/General Medicine)
• Eight weeks ICU
• Four weeks of Night Float
• Two weeks of Cardiology
• Six weeks of Elective
• 10 Y weeks with 60 sessions (1 session = half day) Continuity Clinic
• Two weeks of Geriatrics
• Three weeks of Medicine Consult (MGH rotation)
• One week of Urgent Care/Addiction Medicine
• Two weeks of Inpatient Oncology
• Two weeks of Outpatient Oncology
• One week of Board Prep
• Four weeks of Vacation

During the last year of training emphasis is placed on mastering management skills. At the end of the third year residents are master clinicians and teachers, ready to take their next career step.

Electives

Internal Medicine Residency faculty mentor residents during the elective selection process, helping them choose electives that best align with their career and educational goals. Residents are advised to select their electives at least two weeks prior to the elective start date. Outside electives may be arranged with ample preparation time for credentialing and paperwork.

Outpatient Experience

Ambulatory Care experience

Each categorical trainee establishes their continuity clinic outpatient experience by working closely with one of the primary care physicians from Mass General Brigham Physicians, a multi-specialty group practice affiliated with Salem Hospital, with 300+ physicians, nurse practitioners, and healthcare professionals in more than two dozen locations on the North Shore. The ambulatory experience is both concentrated and enhanced by our 4+1 schedule format. Residents spend four weeks on inpatient/ward rotations and the fifth week in ambulatory clinic. Residents will not have ward responsibilities during their clinic week, which we believe facilitates a focused experience in ambulatory medicine.

Patient Panel

During the three years of training residents build a patient panel. They manage the chronic health needs of this patient panel while also delivering preventive medicine. Residents are expected to enhance their personal performance in known quality measures, e.g., HbA1c trends in diabetic patients.

Ambulatory Curriculum

Our ambulatory experience is supported by a robust primary care curriculum. We provide participatory talks by primary care preceptors and specialists in core topics: diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, community acquired infectious disease, and commonly encountered medical problems as well as quality improvement, serious illness conversations, and shared decision making. Matching each resident with an attending primary care physician from North Shore Physicians Group creates the opportunity for individualized teaching, mentorship, and continuous personal feedback.

Preliminary Year

Our preliminary year provides residents bound for training in other specialties with broad and intensive exposure to internal medicine. Three one-year positions are offered each year for residents planning to enter other areas of residency training (dermatology, neurology, ophthalmology, anesthesia, radiology, and physical medicine & rehab).

Preliminary interns are completely integrated into the residency program and are exposed to the same curriculum and held to the same standards as our categorical interns. The one exception is that there is no continuity clinic requirement for our preliminary interns.

Our schedule currently has a 4+1 format. The 1 week, also called Y week, is dedicated to different clinical experiences chosen by the program director.

You will have a personalized session with the Program Director at the beginning of the year to determine what specialty driven requirements are needed.

Research Experience

The Albright Read Institute offers an in-person, interactive team-based Process Improvement program to ensure every resident achieves a defined level of competency in the principles of process improvement.

The curriculum content is based on PHS CPIP material, with integration of Lean Principles. Upon completion of this course participants are able to:

• Examine current clinical practice and identify gaps in quality and efficiency of care.
• Understand and improve clinical processes with the application of primary data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
• Develop, implement, measure, and monitor plans for/tests of change.
• Develop the leadership and communications skills required to assemble, function within and manage an interdisciplinary team to solve clinical process challenges.

How to Apply

All applications are submitted via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

Residency Faculty

Rebecca Mazurkiewicz, MD MPH: Program Director

Somwail Rasla, MD: Associate Program Director

Craig Grimes, MD: Associate Program Director-Outpatient Medicine

Justin Byrne, MD: Hospitalist-Core Faculty/ Clerkship Director Tufts Medical School

Jovan Boseovksi, MD: Hospitalist-Core Faculty

Sandeep Mishra, MD: Hospitalist-Core Faculty/ Medical Director Simulation Lab

Avalon Mertens, DO: Intensivist-Core Faculty

Usman Mughal, MD: Core Faculty, Clinic Preceptor

Matt Basciotta, MD: Chief Hospitalist Medicine