
Internal Medicine Residency – Northeast
An internal medicine residency with Geisinger prepares you to care for patients at every stage of life.
About us
Choosing a residency is an important decision. So we’re committed to helping you find the right one.
Ready for a comprehensive, high-quality and personally rewarding experience to prepare yourself for a career in medicine? The internal medicine program at Geisinger awaits.
A message from our program director
Dear colleagues:
Thank you for your interest in the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center. We’re excited to share our story with you and hopefully get to know you as a resident, colleague and partner as we develop our vision as an innovative residency program.
Internal medicine is one of the best, most versatile and exciting specialties in medicine. Now more than ever, we need a committed group of dedicated professionals like you with compassion, commitment and initiative to transform the landscape of medicine — especially primary care. Our goal is to train and nurture not only the most capable physicians but also the leaders of tomorrow’s healthcare. We offer a diverse, patient-centered experience focused on continuity of care and a strong patient-physician relationship rooted in humanism, compassion and kindness. Our distinct ambulatory care model provides a trio of distinct clinical experiences that complement the strong inpatient, critical care and subspecialties experience at Geisinger.
Although we are still a young program, we have successfully graduated two sessions and are pleased to offer subspecialty fellowships including Gastroenterology, Cardiology and Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. We are also part of a large academic health system with strong credentials, experience and resources in graduate medical education. We’re affiliated with Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton, Pa., and two major regional medical centers. Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., our principal hospital and residency hub, is a Level I trauma center, and Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton, Pa., is a Level II trauma center. Both centers have high patient volumes, a diverse patient population and a variety of specialties. As Geisinger and Risant Health continue to grow, we have embarked on an ambitious $900 million project to transform our facility into an academic medical center that embraces the future over the next five years.
Northeast Pennsylvania is known for its picturesque landscape and outdoor activities. The greater Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area is home to more than half a million people offering highly rated schools, colleges and universities, as well as world-class shopping, professional sports and cultural activities. It offers a big-city atmosphere without the hassle. Not to mention quick access to New York, Philadelphia and several major cities in the northeastern United States.
As a program still in its developmental years, we have worked hard to establish a meaningful, nurturing and diverse learning environment. One that is built on the foundations of mutual trust, respect, empowerment and accountability. Our learners’ and faculty’s well-being are as important as our commitment to the care we provide our patients, and their direct feedback helps us improve our ideas and strengthen our foundations. To assist in our vision, we are proud to partner with a highly skilled and passionate faculty leading our vision to apply the latest technology, educational tools and innovations.
Feel free to contact us with questions about our program. We look forward to you joining us on this exciting journey.

Wasique Mirza, MD, FACP
Program overview
Our training combines a primary care focus and a comprehensive ambulatory experience with a strong inpatient experience. Although the central hub for the residency program is Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center (GWV) in Wilkes-Barre, your educational experience will be enhanced by inpatient rotations at Geisinger Community Medical Center (GCMC) in Scranton. The true strength of the program is our relationship with regional and community partners. They are here to provide a balanced and diverse outpatient clinical experience in three distinct clinical environments and will prepare you to flourish in a variety of clinical settings. Our clinics and community partners are:
- General Internal Medicine Clinic at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center
- Scranton Primary Healthcare Center (A federally qualified health center)
- Ambulatory internal medicine clinics at Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center
Learn the skills you need to make you exactly the kind of well-rounded, skilled, compassionate physician who makes a difference in patients’ lives.
All residents have an X+Y schedule that follows an approximately 4+2 format.
- Thirteen 4-week blocks
- Two weeks of ambulatory clinic or a non-inpatient rotation every 4 weeks during most blocks
- 3 weeks (15 days) of vacation time
- 1 week (5 days) of CME time during PGY 2 and 3
We are committed to giving a comprehensive experience that enhances clinical skills and proficiency and focuses on preparing you for a fulfilling career as a compassionate primary care physician and leader of tomorrow’s healthcare. You’ll achieve these goals through dedicated rotations in Humanities in Medicine and in Population Health and Leadership. Curriculum is supplemented by required rotations in:
- Radiology
- Geriatrics
- Neurology
- Addiction medicine
- Palliative medicine
- Emergency medicine
In addition to your core rotations in internal medicine sub-specialties, you can choose elective rotations from a variety of specialties, including:
- Anesthesia
- Sports medicine
- Sleep medicine
- Psychiatry
- Rehabilitative medicine
- Dermatology
- Pathology
- Urgent care
IM block rotations by post graduate year
PGY1
Name of rotation | No. of weeks |
Wards Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center (GWV) | 8 |
Wards Geisinger Community Medical Center (GCMC) | 8 |
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) GWV | 4 |
Progressive Care Unit (PCU) GWV | 4 |
Population health & leadership |
2 |
Ambulatory continuity | 6 |
Ambulatory non-continuity |
4 |
Ambulatory Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center (VA) | 4 |
Diagnostic radiology | 1 |
Interventional radiology | 1 |
Humanities | 1 |
Night float | 4 |
Nephrology | 2 |
Vacation | 3 |
PGY2
Name of rotation | No. of weeks |
Wards Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center (GWV) | 4 |
Wards Geisinger Community Medical Center (GCMC) | 4 |
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) GWV | 4 |
Progressive Care Unit (PCU) GWV | 4 |
Population health & leadership |
2 |
Ambulatory continuity | 6 |
Ambulatory non-continuity |
4 |
Ambulatory Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center (VA) | 4 |
Night float | 4 |
Geriatric medicine | 2 |
Addiction medicine |
1 |
Neurology | 2 |
Selective/elective | 8-10 |
Continuing medical education (CME) | 1 |
Vacation | 3 |
PGY3
Name of rotation | No. of weeks |
Wards Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center (GWV) | 4 |
Wards Geisinger Community Medical Center (GCMC) | 4 |
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) GWV | 4 |
Emergency medicine | 2 |
Population health & leadership | 2 |
Ambulatory continuity | 6 |
Ambulatory non-continuity |
4 |
Ambulatory Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center (VA) | 4 |
Night float | 4 |
Palliative medicine | 2 |
Selective/Elective | 12 |
CME | 1 |
Vacation | 3 |
In keeping with Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requirements, our residents are involved in quality improvement projects. These are designed to improve medical care, patient safety, workflow and resident education. Many residents are also involved in research.
We offer you:
- An involved faculty to serve as research and QI mentors
- A fundamentals of research curriculum
- Dedicated research support personnel and statisticians to guide you through study design, IRB approval and research funding
- The opportunity to serve on quality improvement committees in your field of interest
- Two-week rotations in population health and leadership to pursue research and quality-improvement projects
- Graduate medical education or departmental funding support to present your work at regional or national conferences • Institutional grants, provided by The Weis Research Center, give interns and residents up to $2,000 of research support for each project.
The Internal Medicine Residency Program provides a wide range of academic programs to supplement your diverse clinical training experiences. The didactic schedule largely revolves around the Academic Half Day (AHD). Content gets repeated yearly, giving you the opportunity to revisit the lessons
Weekly Academic Half-Day (AHD)
The weekly half-day didactic block is held Thursdays from 1 to 5 p.m at the education classrooms located in our brand-new GWV Medical Office Building. Your direct feedback helps drive this highly interactive experience aimed at continuous improvement. AHD includes:
- Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program® (MKSAP) based board review
- Faculty-driven lectures
- Institutional requirements
- Wellness and group-based activities
- Simulation sessions
- Journal clubs
The curriculum for this didactic series includes:
- General and subspecialty medicine topics
- Wellness and leadership activities
- Non-clinical topics like: • Coding and billing
• Pharmacy services
• Clinical documentation
• Ethics updates
• Communication
Attending faculty, residents and guest speakers typically present during each session. In addition, the program director can designate additional lectures for house staff each month.
AHD didactic topic list
- Intern Survival (for interns). First 3 AHDs in July
- Board Prep Boot Camp (PGY2 and 3). First 3 AHDs in July
- Mystery Case group discussions – Selected and presented by residents – 1st AHD of each block – Chiefs/Resident Driven Content
- Subspecialty (TOB) case presentation/lectures
- Board prep – MKSAP modules covering Topic of the Block (TOB) – 1 hour weekly
- Resident RAP Session – 1st AHD of the block – To discuss concerns, ideas and provide feedback related to previous block
- Monthly Meeting (RAP Recap) – The week following Rap Session to go over issues discussed during RAP and provide solutions
- Humanities Reflections (30 min) presented by the PGY-1 resident completing the Humanities rotation
- Quarterly Wellness Sessions and Team Building Retreats (for residents and faculty)
- Quarterly Sim Sessions at NE GEMS (Geisinger Education and Medical Simulation) Center. Additional Simulation sessions at Wilkes Barre VA Medical Center during Ambulatory rotations.
- Reflections (General) before each Quarterly Sim session and more frequent shorter sessions during didactics.
- Leadership Module/leadership lectures by Geisinger Healthcare Leaders
- Sleep/Fatigue Mitigation sessions twice a year
- Poverty Simulation (Yearly) – Subject to resource availability
- Implicit Bias sessions (Yearly)
- Safe Hand off Exercises – Orientation and as part of Residents as Teachers sessions
- Communication Workshop (Yearly)
- Introduction to C.I.CARE (During Intern Survival)
- Professional and Ethical Dilemmas – Resident driven (Quarterly) – Chiefs/Resident driven content
- Safe opiate prescribing (yearly)
- Evidence Based/high value Medicine
- YouTube Surprise (Resident driven video/Video Podcast selections from online resources on relevant topics) – Chiefs/Resident driven content
- Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) (Yearly)
Yearly workshops:
- Sleep/fatigue mitigation
- Poverty simulation (when available)
- Implicit bias workshop
- Prescribing opiates safely
- Clinical documentation improvement (CDI)
Twice-yearly workshops
- Safe hand off exercises
- H&P exercise
- Communication workshop
Board Review (AHD)
Throughout your training, you’ll review chapters from the most current edition of MKSAP in weekly 60-minute sessions. Each year, all topics are reviewed and discussed, empowering you to cover the information multiple times over the length of the training program. Dedicated faculty lead an interactive Q&A discussion session. Topics discussed are scheduled at the beginning of the academic year as Topic of the Block. You’ll be expected to read the material and be prepared for the discussion.
Journal Club (AHD)
Journal Club meets once a month during the AHD. This monthly format developed was designed to meet the research recommendations of the American College of Physicians (ACP). This format includes methods for analyzing, interpreting and presenting original data published in medical journals.
Simulation sessions (AHD)
Attend simulation sessions several times throughout the year at Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center. After an initial reflection session, you’ll have training on simulation equipment and modules in their state-of-the-art simulation lab. You’ll have access to a full suite of equipment including:
- SimMan 3G
- Vein illuminating technology
- EGD/bronchoscopy trainer
- Arterial and venous puncture training arm
- Central line mannequin
- Central line training package with articulating head
- Ultrasound machine
Wellness activities (AHD)
We hold wellness-related activities, reflection sessions and retreats throughout the year to:
- Encourage social interaction
- Develop relationships with faculty
- Provide opportunities for feedback to improve the learning environment.
You’ll have protected time to attend quarterly wellness retreats.
Topic of the Block
An internal medicine sub-specialty will be assigned to each block of rotation. The goal will be to cover all key areas of internal medicine over the course of the academic year. In addition to theregular clinic discussions, faculty will review related topics. At the end of each block, you’ll take a quiz.
Morning Report
During this case-based discussion, our upper-level residents discuss interesting or complex clinical cases from the previous night’s admissions.
Interdisciplinary team rounds
Daily rounds take place at GWV and GCMC. This activity brings interdisciplinary teams (IDTs) together to facilitate treatment, including discharges and transitions of care.
Patient rounds
Patient rounds are divided into 3 categories to give real-time patient team updates throughout the day:
- Morning rounds begin with pre-rounding at 7 a.m. and continue following morning report.
- Attending rounds start immediately after IDT meetings. Faculty attendings lead the discussion to verify history and physical findings and review treatment plans.
- Afternoon wrap-up rounds begin at 2 p.m. to review: • New admissions
• Transfers
• New labs
• Investigations
• Consultant recommendations
• Discharges
Transition-of-care issues and concerns are also discussed.
- Sign-out rounds are held at 4:30 p.m. They follow I-Pass format for TOC (transitions of care) and hand-out to on-call team members.
Morbidity & mortality review
Each month, a morbidity and mortality review conference is held at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center. Internal medicine residents are assigned to present the case and discuss aspects for improvement as part of the practice-based learning core competency. Cases are chosen by residents or attending faculty.
Tumor Conference
These monthly conferences, scheduled by the oncology department, are held at each campus. While you attend, you’ll rotate on in-house medicine oncology services.
Behavioral & psychosocial curriculum
Your training includes many aspects beyond knowledge and clinical skills, like:
- Integrity
- Respect
- Ethical behavior
- Compassion
- Empathy
Besides specific group activities and presentations, you’ll attend a weekly 30-minute resident-led presentation. This scheduled time is an opportunity for you to reflect on your experiences and to comment on reading assignments.
Standardized patient session
The residents will participate in standardized patient session focused on patient communications and diversity. This program is sponsored by the GEMS Standardized Patient program and has over 50 cases to select from. Cases relevant to current curriculum and training goals are preselected for residents and scheduled across the year and include principles of effective physician-patient relationships, patient-centered approach, talk-back techniques and difficult topics such as giving bad news and how to deal with a difficult patient.
Annual education day
You’ll have the opportunity to develop your teaching skills through an annual education day. There, you’ll learn about leadership, communication and educating junior residents and other learners. Sessions also address:
- Principles of effective physician-patient relationships
- Patient-centered approach
- Talk-back techniques
- Difficult topics, such as giving bad news and how to deal with a difficult patient.
Annual scholarship days
Traditionally held in the first week of May each year at the Henry Hood Center for Health Research in Danville. Geisinger Scholarship Days allow for the presentation of outstanding research that reflects the considerable efforts that were put forth by the residents, fellows, faculty, mentors and research teams. It showcases this scholarship to demonstrate the innovation and inquisitiveness that furthers our commitment to the patient experience.
Research and scholarship requirement
You’ll have the opportunity to give Journal Club presentations and morbidity and mortality case conferences throughout your residency program. All residents must complete at least two scholarly activity projects during residency — one during first year of residency and one between second and third year of residency. Scholarly activities include:
- Case reports
- Quality improvement projects
- Clinical research projects
All PGY-1s are required to complete a scholarly project and present it as a poster presentation for Geisinger’s Annual Resident and Fellow Scholarship Days. As per ACGME requirement, residents will be required to work on a CQI (Clinical Quality Improvement) project during their three years of training. You’ll have time for CQI and clinical research projects during your population management and research rotation under the guidance of a faculty research mentor. Residents are expected to plan and start a CQI project during PGY 2 and may continue it through PGY 3. We encourage you to submit your scholarly work to local and national conferences.
Senior presentation
Throughout the year, a senior presentation will be held in lieu of grand rounds. Each PGY3 resident is required to present a grand rounds caliber presentation related to a chosen medical or healthcare topic, original research or QA/QI project.
Having a healthy body and mind reduces your risk of burnout and helps you deliver the best-quality care. That’s why we’ve introduced activities and training to build an environment that helps you find balance across these areas:
- Social
- Physical
- Intellectual
- Career
- Emotional
- Spiritual
The wellness initiative provides education and awareness on various topics through:
- Social events
- Conferences
- Reflection sessions
- Interactive group activities
- Online resources
- Incentive programs
More information on our wellness resources.
View GME’s wellness resources.
Our home: Northeast Pennsylvania
Northeast Pennsylvania (NEPA) is a great place to live, with safe neighborhoods, an affordable cost of living and access to recreational activities. NEPA is close to New York City, Philadelphia and several other urban areas, giving you access to major cities in just a few hours. Overall, our communities are a good bet for living a stress-free, healthy lifestyle. And more importantly, NEPA is a place where you can make a difference.
Vision
Our vision is to:
- Educate and train competent, compassionate physicians in a diverse clinical environment
- Create a holistic curriculum that prepares physicians to be efficient managers and providers of high-value medicine and inspires them to be empathetic healers, critical thinkers and visionary leaders of tomorrow’s healthcare
The Geisinger difference
Our values — kindness, excellence, safety, learning and innovation — are at the heart of everything we do. We provide high-quality, patient-centered, cost-effective care to our patients across northeastern and central Pennsylvania. And our residents learn to do the same.
Geisinger serves more than 1 million people in central and northeast Pennsylvania. We’ve been nationally recognized for innovative practices in quality, delivery models such as ProvenCare® and the use of an award-winning electronic medical record, Epic®. Our physician-led system has approximately 24,000 employees, including more than 1,600 physicians, nine hospital campuses, two research centers and a health plan with more than half a million members, all of which boost our hometown economies by $7.1 billion annually.
Frequently asked questions
Read on for answers to some of our most commonly asked questions.
- Graduation from an accredited international medical school within the past five years is highly preferred. Additional preference is given to graduation dates within the past three years.
- U.S. experience (i.e., “observership”) is preferred but not required.
- Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center and Geisinger Community Medical Center do not offer program-sponsored observerships.
- Current ECFMG certification
- Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center offers both J-1 and a limited number of H-1B visas to qualified candidates.
- If you wish to apply for an H-1B visa, you must pass USMLE Step 3 and the score report must be available by Match Day.
- All interviews are virtual.
- Interview invitations are extended to prospective applicants via ERAS and Thalamus.
- Interviews occur from October until mid-January.
- Interview days run for approximately four hours in the mornings (U.S. Eastern Time), and some afternoon sessions to accommodate different time zones.
- All interviewees are invited to a virtual meet and greet session with residents a few days before their interview date.
- On the interview day, you’ll be joined by the program administrator and current residents in the virtual holding room to interact with and learn about our program, which is an integral part of our interview process.
- There will be three fifteen-minute interviews, one each with the program director, one of the associate program directors and a faculty member.
- You’ll maintain your patient panels in their general internal medicine (GIM-ambulatory medicine) continuity clinic at Geisinger Wyoming Valley campus. Additionally, you will spend four weeks each of non-continuity ambulatory experiences at Scranton Primary Healthcare Center (a Federally Qualified Health Center) and the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center.
- As a resident, you’ll have an X+Y schedule that follows an approximately 4+2 format. This means that during most blocks, you’ll have an ambulatory clinic or non-inpatient rotation every four weeks for two weeks throughout the academic year.
- You’ll have an opportunity to rotate through all clinics and experience each site’s distinct culture during your training
The following approved fellowships are offered at Geisinger Wyoming Valley, while others are in process:
- Cardiology
- Gastroenterology
- Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
- Palliative Medicine
- Sleep Medicine
- Addiction Medicine
- Sports Medicine
Geisinger offers several sub-specialty fellowships at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville:
- Gastroenterology and advanced endoscopy
- Nephrology
- Rheumatology
- Cardiology, interventional cardiology and electrophysiology
- Bariatric medicine and nutrition
- Addiction medicine
- Pulmonary and critical care medicine
- Critical care medicine
- Palliative medicine
- Sports medicine
- Clinical informatics
- Hematology/oncology
In addition to working with fellows from our several fellowship programs and closely working with medical students from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and other affiliated schools, you’ll also have an opportunity to work with other residents within our GWV and GCMC campuses:
- Family Medicine
- General Surgery
- Neurology
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Psychiatry
- Emergency Medicine