Program Director’s Message
I appreciate your interest in our Internal Medicine Residency Program. Our community-based program in New Jersey allows our residents to rotate in two hospitals near New York City. The first is St. Mary’s General Hospital, Passaic, NJ, and the other is Saint Clare’s Health, in Denville and Dover, NJ. The uniqueness of our program is that residents get to rotate in two different healthcare settings which treat patients from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
St Mary’s General Hospital is about ten miles from Manhattan in an inner city where our residents encounter people from an urban setting and those who may not have regular access to primary care and may have challenges with their insurance status. Here our residents get to see some advanced pathologies and care for extremely sick patients. Saint Clare’s Health in Denville is located about thirty miles from Manhattan in a suburban setting where patients are highly informed, with families extensively engaged in their care. The patients also have regular access to preventive medical care and are very involved in their health. Here our residents get excellent training in preventive medical care and learn to deal with informed patients and their families. Both hospitals have access to subspecialties like infectious diseases, cardiology (both interventional and EP), hematology and oncology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, nephrology, and numerous others.
Traditionally, the education of physicians has focused most heavily on the domains of medical knowledge and patient management. While these areas remain at the heart of our curriculum, we recognize that excellence in healthcare also requires mastery of other essential elements. Our residency program promotes communication and teamwork among colleagues, physicians, nurses, allied professionals, patients, their families, and caregivers. Our residency program is integrated into the various processes of the hospital to support the development of the skills required to assume a leadership role in the healthcare system of the 21st century.
The transformation from medical student to practicing internist is a developmental process that begins during residency. At the heart of this transformation is the understanding that serving a fellow human being is an honor and a privilege.
Our program provides ample opportunity to balance work and play, and the locale allows convenient access to everything exciting New York offers. Few cities in the world rival New York in the breadth of entertainment, culture, shopping, dining, and diverse experiences. Whether you want to catch a Broadway play, visit world-class museums such as the Guggenheim and MOMA, or stroll through many diverse neighborhoods, New York City offers endless possibilities for leisure activity. Spend a day on the Museum Mile, immerse yourself in Central Park’s vastness, or enjoy a cappuccino in one of the many sidewalk cafes while people-watching. Whatever your interest, you will find countless things to choose from in Manhattan.
Best,
Dr. Harish Rengarajan MD, MBA
Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program