UPMC Enhanced Observership Program (EOP)
Program Overview
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Enhanced Observership Program (EOP) is a formal observational experience that enables participants to observe different clinical team members from the host department and engage in high yield, directly observed educational sessions with standardized patients including medical interviewing and clinical skills.
The EOP is designed specifically for graduates of international medical schools who are planning to apply to internal medicine residency in the United States. This experience was created both to help trainees develop skills that will ensure success in residency and to provide thoughtful evaluation and recommendation letters to support residency applications in a meaningful way.
Our next EOP session will be 3/31/25 – 5/23/25.
Participants will shadow UPMC hospitalist and subspecialist physicians, observe them in inpatient clinical settings, and attend the same educational conferences as UPMC residents, including morning report, noon conference, and grand round. They will work on teams with UPMC residents on many of their clinical experiences.
To date, participants’ residency match rate is 75%.
This program is strictly observational, but trainees are welcomed to participate in rounds. Inpatient exposure will be strictly shadowing per Pennsylvania state policy.
Participants have access to medical record review to allow for independent assessment and evaluation of patients with participation in teaching rounds of both general medicine and subspecialty service.
Other program highlights include professional development mentorship such as CV and personal statement review, and dedicated teaching sessions with EOP internal medicine faculty. Teaching sessions include clinical reasoning instruction and participation in small group problem-solving workshops, in which participants will present patients whom they are following with their clinical teams. There are also sessions throughout the program with standardized patients, in which participants have the opportunity to practice and receive feedback in medical interviewing and physical exam skills.
Observerships are eight weeks and provide participants the opportunity to immerse themselves in UPMC’s clinical programs, build relationships with UPMC faculty, and strengthen their residency application. Observers will receive a Certificate of Participation upon successful completion of the program, and two letters of recommendation: one from the EOP director, Dr Jennifer Corbelli, and one from an attending physician with whom each participant has worked clinically. The content of the letters will address participation, communication skills, medical knowledge, clinical reasoning, and professionalism as demonstrated in all program activities. Letters will not be provided if the participant fails to meet professional standards.
U.S. and Pennsylvania laws and regulations, as well as UPMC regulations are strictly enforced, and observers will not directly participate in patient care.
What to Expect
- As an observer, you will be able to observe your host faculty and residents in the clinical setting and attend lectures and other teaching sessions.
- You will also have the opportunity to request time to observe on a medicine subspeciality elective of your choice. Every effort will be made to accommodate subspecialty request.
- You will receive parking, an ID badge and a UPMC email address for use during your time in the program. You will also receive a UPMC issued laptop for use during the program.
- Per Pennsylvania state law, you will be accompanied by an attending physician, fellow, resident, healthcare staff, or supervisor at all times when observing patients.
- You will not be able to perform or be directly involved in any patient care.
Participation in the observership program is not associated with any special procedures regarding considering for residency at any UPMC program.
- All health professionals participating in the UPMC Enhanced Observership Program are required to comply with all UPMC policies.
Eligibility
Minimum education – Completion of your medical degree from an international medical school. Recent medical school graduates will be prioritized.
English Proficiency – In order for you to have the most productive educational and learning experience during your observership, you must be proficient in English.
Additional Requirements:
- USMLE Step 2 CK – Trainee must submit Step 2 CK.
- USMLE Step 1 – Trainee must submit Step 1 report.
- Updated CV
- Diploma from a medical school listed in the International Medical Education Directory
- Letter of Intent -Please provide a one-page letter stating your interest and experience related to this specialty. The letter should include your career interests and how this experience will help you achieve those goals.
- Letter of Recommendation – Provide a professional Internal Medicine letter of recommendation written within the last 2 years.
- Visa – Appropriate VISA status with proof of passport, if applicable
Program Fees
- Departmental Training Fee: $8,000 ($1000 per week)
- Payment in full will need to be received prior to start of the observership.
- Cancellations after approval are subject to the full program cost and no refunds will be given.
- Observers will be responsible for their own travel, accommodation, and living expenses.
- No scholarships are available.
Application
To submit application materials, please use the link below to submit your EOP application.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C7P7FQG
All application materials should be submitted by 12/31/24.
We will begin recruitment for that session in early January.
Any questions regarding the EOP sessions, please email upmcimeop@upmc.edu.
Please note, there is a $50 non-refundable application fee. For those accepted to participate, this cost will be applied toward total tuition.
Visiting Research Opportunities:
If you are interested in coming to the University of Pittsburgh as a visiting research scholar, please note this is our Translational and Clinical Research Immersive Scholars’ Program (t-CriSP) and requires a different visa. This is a 2-year post-doctoral program in which persons with medical degrees and/or PhD degrees in their early career development will work with an investigator and team. Please contact Marcy Gelman at gelmanms@upmc.edu regarding acceptance and application. Please note that federal regulations prevent observers from involvement in any research.
Former EOP Participant Testimonials
One of the coolest parts is you get your own EMR account and badge access to most of the facility, which makes everything smoother. But the real game-changer is the standardized patient workshop – seven four-hour sessions that are all about boosting your communication skills with patients. It significantly boosts my skills in dealing with challenging clinical scenarios in the humanistic aspect. You also get to join in on the daily morning reports and noon conferences with residents, and yep, there’s free lunch!
It’s clear they really think about what international medical grads need and give us the best chances to succeed. Everyone’s super welcoming and supportive too. Honestly, just go for it. The cost might seem a bit much at first, but it’s totally worth it. For me, I got more than expected interview invites this season, and I owe a lot of that to this rotation.’