Acting Internship in Medicine

A one-month Acting Internship (AI) in Medicine, Family Medicine, Pediatrics, or General Surgery is required of all fourth-year medical students at UMass Chan Medical School. The Medicine AI is offered at many of the teaching hospitals in the UMass Chan System. In general, the AI in Medicine may be taken at institutions outside UMass Chan teaching hospitals in addition to, but not instead of, an AI at core UMass Chan affiliates.

The goal of the AI in Medicine is to allow each student to function as close to an intern as possible, under the close supervision of residents and attending physicians. The number of patients for whom a student is responsible for will be adjusted to maximize the learning potential and to fit each student’s capabilities. Students will admit new patients and may also assume the care of those admitted by other covering physicians on nights or weekends.

Students participate in all educational house staff conferences and meet in small groups with the site director (or designee) to review and discuss various topics. The curriculum is standardized across all sites, and all required Acting Internships are to meet the specific objectives of the AI. Students are expected to participate in other site-specific teaching sessions with faculty and teams to include opportunities such as case presentations at conferences, topic reviews, and bedside presentations. Feedback, personal involvement, and individual evaluation are emphasized in this modified apprenticeship model.