Internal Medicine Residency

Welcome from our program director

On behalf of the faculty and staff of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at HCA Centerpoint Medical Center, welcome.

With over 15 years of experience as a Medical Director, Chief of Medicine, and Associate Program Director, I have had the privilege of shaping physician training programs that balance rigorous clinical education with genuine investment in each trainee's growth. I bring that same commitment to this program: a curriculum grounded in real-world, high-acuity clinical exposure, close faculty mentorship, and a culture where residents are known, supported, and challenged to reach their full potential.

Our mission is to train compassionate, clinically excellent physicians who are prepared to meet the evolving needs of the patients and communities they serve. In alignment with HCA Healthcare's enduring commitment to the care and improvement of human life, we cultivate an educational environment built on high-quality, cost-effective, and patient-centered care that affirms the unique worth of every individual. We pursue this mission through:

• Clinical excellence — providing residents with broad, high-acuity training across inpatient and outpatient settings
• Mentorship — fostering close relationships between faculty and trainees that support professional and personal growth
• Scholarship — encouraging research, quality improvement, and scholarly activity that advances the field of internal medicine
• Compassion — instilling a patient-first approach rooted in empathy, integrity, and respect
• Leadership — preparing graduates to become confident, well-rounded physicians and future leaders in medicine, whether in general practice or subspecialty careers

Sincerely,

Shivani Scharf, DO
Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency HCA Centerpoint Medical Center

Program overview

Our program is built on a foundation of clinical excellence, mentorship, and compassionate patient care, training residents across Centerpoint Medical Center and Belton Regional Medical Center in the heart of eastern Jackson County and the greater Kansas City region. As a community-based program within HCA Healthcare's national graduate medical education network — one of the largest GME communities in the country — our residents benefit from the scale and resources of a leading health system while training in a close-knit, collegial environment. Whether your goals lie in general internal medicine or a subspecialty career, you will graduate prepared, confident, and ready to lead. We are excited to welcome you to our program and to walk alongside you in this next chapter of your career.

Curriculum

Our internal medicine program provides comprehensive and balanced educational training to prepare residents to deliver modern, patient-centered primary care, hospital medicine, traditional internal medicine and board certification. For those physicians looking to pursue a specialty, our program serves as a strong foundation from which to grow.

One of the goals of our program is to impart the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to provide exceptional care in internal medicine. Residents will graduate with a clear understanding of the natural history of disease, the ability to select diagnostic tests appropriately and knowledge of best practices in providing cost-effective, evidence-based treatment.

Curriculum schedule and rotations

Sample schedule for PGY 1:

• 10 weeks of Continuity Clinic
• 16 weeks of In-patient Adult Medicine
• 4 weeks of Critical Care Medicine
• 4 weeks of Night Float
• 4 weeks of Infectious Diseases
• 4 weeks of Nephrology
• 4 weeks of Gastroenterology
• 4 weeks of Cardiology
• 4 weeks of electives

Conferences, Didactics, and Simulations:

Didactics/ Conference (Weekly protected time for residents) are conducted and attended by faculty and residents. These include, but are not limited to:

• Journal Club
• Simulation training
• Board Review
• Morbidity & Mortality Conference (M&M)
• Lecture Presentations and Grand Rounds

Wellness & Well-Being

1. Residents, fellows, and faculty will undergo an annual course in well-being to bring attention to burnout, depression, and substance abuse and the symptoms related to this.
2. The meaningfulness in the experience of being a physician - including protection of time with patients, minimization of non-physician obligations, and promotion of progressive autonomy - are areas a program will focus on to protect the resident and fellow working environment.
3. Access to behavioral health is available through the HCA Employee Assistance Program (EAP) on a 24-hour basis.
4. Residents have the opportunity, after consulting with their program director, to attend medical, mental health, and dental care appointments during work hours. It is also understood that there are circumstances in which residents may be unable to attend work, including but not limited to fatigue, illness and family emergencies without fear of negative consequences. The resident or fellow must still communicate timely with their program director if they will not be able to report to work.
5. Wellness committee
6. Annual Resident Retreat

Fatigue Mitigation

• Adequate sleep facilities are provided to residents and fellows as needed and transportation for residents or fellows too fatigued to return home will be provided. Education regarding fatigue and the signs of fatigue will be provided for awareness and proper management.
• During orientation, each resident and fellow will complete the Sleep, Alertness and Fatigue Education in Residency “SAFER” course.

Counseling & Support Services

• Access to behavioral health is available through the HCA Employee Assistance Program (EAP) on a 24-hour basis.

Salary and benefits