The Cardiovascular Medicine curriculum is aimed at assuring that housestaff achieve proficiency in evaluation skills, interpretation of diagnostic test results and in cardiovascular problem management. Rotation on the Inpatient Unit/Coronary Care Unit and cardiology and consultation is mandatory, with optional rotations in faculty outpatient clinics, preventive cardiology, stress testing, inpatient heart failure/transplant service and in individual research opportunities with faculty.

Residents see tertiary care patients and those who require long-term outpatient follow-up. This population includes patients with acute and chronic ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, transplant patients, valvular heart disease, hypertensive heart disease, arrhythmias and adult congenital heart disease. Preoperative evaluation of patients with cardiovascular disease is an important part of the consultation experience.

Teaching methods are quite varied. Didactic lecturing occurs both through a Department of Medicine (DOM) lecture series and daily attending rounds on the Cardiology Inpatient Service. In addition, there is an emphasis on bedside teaching, individual case review and data rounds. Housestaff rotating through the cardiology service are invited to attend the Cardiovascular Medicine weekly conferences. On the inpatient service, housestaff are supervised in the Coronary Care Unit, helping place central lines, pulmonary artery catheters, arterial lines and performing cardioversions. Cardiovascular Medicine faculty are frequently recipients of DOM teaching awards.

Resident education in Cardiovascular Medicine is supplemented by an extensive on-line teaching library of ECG, recommended textbooks, classic and current literature, with an ever-increasing role involving Internet and hospital computer-based informational sources.