University of Illinois
College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign
Internal Medicine Residency Program

Program Policy

PURPOSE:    

To assure all patient care activity of residents is supervised by qualified faculty and staff.

POLICY:       

1). On all rotations residents work under the direct supervision of faculty and staff who are credentialed by the clinical facility.
2). After hours attending physician backup and consultation is available.
3). Interns are never on duty after hours without junior or senior resident supervision. 

PROCEDURES:

Residents are given progressive responsibility for patient care based on demonstration of competence.  Interns are supervised by junior and senior residents and junior and senior residents by the attending physician.

The physician of record maintains ultimate responsibility for patient care. In choosing to admit a patient to teaching service, the attending commits to delegate primary management to the resident team under his/her direct supervision.

The intern is responsible for the primary management of patients including admission evaluation, orders, progress notes.  The intern closely communicates with the resident on patient management decisions. The senior resident oversees and supervises the intern work and communicates with the attending physician. The attending physician has final authority and responsibility for patient care.

The attending or staff of record must always be notified for unanticipated deterioration in the patient's condition, transfer to or from a critical care service, when invasive or expensive studies are planned, in cases where there is a question of or actual discharge against medical advice, or in the unanticipated death of a patient.

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