St. Mary Medical Center, UCLA-Affiliated Internal Medicine Residency, Long Beach, CA

What is the difference between Preliminary and Categorical Interns?

In general, no distinction is made between 1-year "preliminary" and 3-year categorical residents. Preliminary interns have 5 months of ICU time scheduled (instead of 3 to 4), and are not required to rotate to Harbor-UCLA, unless they request to do so. Categorical interns will have 1-2 Harbor-UCLA ward months scheduled for their internship year.

Typically there are seven PGY-1 Preliminary positions and seven PGY-1 Categorical positions available for the match (this may vary from year to year).

How has St. Mary Medical Center done in the Match?

Our program has filled all of its positions in the past decade.  We are sometimes confused with other St. Mary's Programs that may have gone unfilled in their match process.  Please look for our Long Beach location when researching our program  from other resources.

What do the residents do when they finish their residency?

Approximately one-third of our residents apply for fellowships at some of the most prestigious programs in California.  In recent years, we have had a 100% match-rate into subspecialty fellowships of those who applied.  Please visit the Graduates page to find out more about where our graduates go after residency.

Can medical students do rotations at St. Mary's?

Yes!  We accept medical students from all across the country who are interested in rotating through St. Mary's.  Please contact Sylvia Perez for more information.

What is the salary for each year of residency?

The current salaries for 2009-10 is: PGY-1: $43,957  PGY-2: $48,691   PGY-3: $51,339.

What is the call schedule for interns and residents?

PGY-1(Interns): overnight twice a month on wards with night float starting at 8pm. In the ICU, q4 overnight. Call-free months include clinic and ER..

PGY-2/3 (Residents):  overnight on average once a week in ICU. Typically call-free in clinic, ambulatory, elective rotations. Night float system for wards. See Curriculum for details.

NOTE:  While many months are spent on consult services at Harbor-UCLA, all PGY2 & 3's take call only at SMMC.

How many days off do interns/residents get per week?

Interns and Residents get 1 day off per week during Medicine Wards and ICU.  During ambulatory and subspecialty months interns/residents may potentially get weekends off (2 days).

How many days of vacation are allowed each year?

Three weeks of vacation are allotted.  They are divided into a two week and a one week blocks.

Interns get an additional 4th week off at the end of internship year (unpaid).

How is the ancillary support at SMMC?

We have excellent ancillary support.  Blood-draws, respiratory therapists, EKG's, STAT radiology services, and transport services are available 24 hours a day.  Pharmacists assist with antibiotic dosing, heparin drip monitoring, and TPN/PPN orders.  Web-based PACS system available throughout the hospital.

How many days of maternity leave are allowed?

The American Board of Internal Medicine allows no more than 4 weeks of absence from a residency program each year for any reason to maintain eligibility. Additional time missed requires extending the resident's time in the program.

What are other benefits enjoyed by St. Mary residents?

- Health Insurance: Various medical and dental plans are offered for residents and their families.

Credit is given to those residents choosing not receive medical benefits through SMMC (evidence of other medical coverage is required).

- Retirement Plan: 403b/401k plans are offered to all residents with matching funds beginning in the second year of residency.Residents may choose their preferred financial institution for asset management (Fidelity Investments, VALIC, or Lincoln Life).

- Meals: All meals are included at the hospital cafeteria.

- Parking is free for residents in the SMMC parking structure.

- Lab Coats and Scrubs are provided.

- Library access is available 24 hours a day.  A large selection of textbooks and journals are available.

High speed internet access is available in the library and throughout the hospital. Electronic journals and Up to Date are available throughout the hospital.

- Photo-copying is available to residents 24 hours a day.

- Individual overnight call rooms are provided, with individual restroom facilities in each room. See photos.

- Newly renovated physicians' lounge.

- Annual all-inclusive Residency Retreat at UCLA Lake Arrowhead Conference Center.

What is the ambulatory experience at SMMC?

One half day per week is spent in continuity clinic. Additionally, residents and interns do one ambulatory rotation per year in the same clinic (M-F weekends off, no call).  There are 2 additional ambulatory rotations (AM-1 and AM-2) for PGY-2's and 3's that provide outpatient sub-specialty experiences, predominantly through clinics at Harbor-UCLA.  To learn more about our outpatient training visit Curriculum.

What electives are available at SMMC?

An elective rotation is scheduled in the second or third year. During this time the resident can obtain additional training in disciplines of his/her choice.  Some choose to gain more experience in subspecialties of Internal Medicine, while others have chosen areas such as Dermatology, Geriatrics, and Pathology. Special electives, such as research months or travel abroad, may be arranged on an individual basis.  Several recent graduates traveled around the world to do unique rotations in various disciplines.

Where do people live?

Interns and Residents choose to live in a variety of places throughout Southern California.  Many live in Long Beach with the most popular location being Belmont Shore.  Some commute from as far north as Westwood and as far south as Newport Beach.  St. Mary's is readily accessible from the 710 Freeway which makes commuting convenient from any location in L.A.

Will I have time to read/study?

Yes.  In addition to the various scheduled teaching sessions, residents have access to MDConsult, NEJM Online, and various other medical journals to augment their learning experience.  MKSAP and MedStudy are also available.  Given the exceptional ancillary services at SMMC, Residents dedicate more time towards learning and less time doing "scut" work.

Will I have free time to spend with my family/friends?

SMMC Residency values the importance of balancing work with family and friends.  Resident schedules are very predictable from day-to-day, call-schedules are posted in advance, and vacation time is assigned at the beginning of the year;  all of which make scheduling quality time with friends and family much easier.

Are residents truly happy at St. Mary's?

Yes!  Interviewees in the past have universally agreed that residents seem very happy with their experiences at SMMC.  We hope you have the time to interview at SMMC and see for yourself.  Please refer to Quotes for more about residents' opinions.

What sets St. Mary's apart from other programs?

We believe that St. Mary's offers one of the best residency experiences in California.  Our program combines the best of academic medicine in the community setting with the best of subspecialty medicine at Harbor-UCLA.  We augment our exceptional inpatient training with variety of outpatient experiences.  We value a balanced personal life as much as we value hard work.  We hope you take the time to learn more about St. Mary Medical Center by applying for position with us!