Houston | Internal Medicine Observerships & Externships

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SELECT YOUR ROTATION OF INTEREST

We have multiple internal medicine rotations in Houston.

Please click on your rotation of interest below to learn more about the rotation

HOUSTON internal medicine #1

#1

OUTPATIENT US Clinical experience
in Internal medicine

Specialty: Internal Medicine

MD2B Connect Physician ID # 22

Where will the rotation take place: This outpatient US clinical experience will take place 45 minutes north of downtown Houston. This preceptor sees patients in different offices. Because you will be seeing patients in 3 different offices, this rotation requires the IMG to have his or her own transportation.

Hours: Monday - Friday 8 AM to 5 PM

Hours have been provided by the preceptor. Hours are subject to change at the preceptor’s discretion, but the minimum total hours will remain approximately the same.

What you will do: This is an outpatient experience during which you will be under the supervision of a highly regarded physician educator who is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. He completed his residency at the Baylor College of Medicine, and was named Chief Resident during his last year of training. He has twice been named Physician of the Year by the hospital where he holds staff privileges. He has also been named one of America's top physicians.

Although he completed his residency training in Internal Medicine/Pediatrics, 80% of his practice involves the care of adults. Please note that this physician preceptor is involved in the education of medical students and nurse practitioners.

After a few days of observation, you will take on an increasing role in patient encounters and learn the following under the preceptor’s supervision:

Taking patient histories.
Performing physical exams under the physician's supervision.
Presenting patients.
Writing or entering clinic progress notes.
Have opportunities to research the literature to answer clinical questions at the point of care.
Being involved in patient education.
Teaching other team members.
Spending time with other healthcare professionals to understand their roles and responsibilities.

You will receive regular feedback on your performance.

There may also be time set aside to work on a project to improve the physician's practice. Some possibilities include creating patient education handouts, creating informational pages for the practice website, and conducting patient surveys. This will be an excellent opportunity to gain valuable skills in patient care while taking part in non-patient care related activities that will strengthen your CV. Please note that the exact nature of the project will be decided by you and your preceptor.

Who should consider this rotation: International medical graduates (IMGs) and students seeking US clinical experience in Internal Medicine; IMGs seeking careers in family medicine, internal medicine, or pediatrics.

How to obtain a letter of recommendation: The rotator should ask the preceptor for a LOR near the conclusion of the rotation. Dr. Desai has provided the physician with guidelines about best practices in letter writing that meet residency program requirements. In some cases, the preceptor may ask the rotator to write a letter of recommendation draft.

During the rotation: Our team will be checking in periodically with you to ensure that you are having an optimal experience. We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions during the rotation.

See Where Our Students Applying to Internal Medicine Have Received Interviews or Matched

Read Dr. Desai's Interview with Dr. Roy Ziegelstein (Vice Dean for Education at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Former Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center) about How to Match Successfully in Internal Medicine

HOUSTON internal medicine #2

#2

TESTIMONIALS

Sebastian

"Great outpatient rotation. All 3 offices are located in medical complexes with plenty of other doctors around which allows for additional network and interactions. The doctor is a good heart person. He will do his best to take good care of you. He is interested in hearing about your past and goals and takes time to show you around."

OUTPATIENT US clinical experience
IN Internal medicine

Specialty: Internal Medicine

MD2B Connect Physician ID # 21

Where will the rotation take place: This outpatient US clinical experience will take place 30 minutes southwest of downtown Houston.

Hours: Monday - Friday 10 AM to 5:30 PM (except Wednesday 10 AM to 2 PM)

Hours have been provided by the preceptor. Hours are subject to change at the preceptor’s discretion, but the minimum total hours will remain approximately the same.

What you will do: This is an outpatient experience during which you will be under the supervision of a highly regarded physician educator who is board certified in Internal Medicine. He holds staff privileges at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital and St. Luke's Hospital Sugar Land.

After a few days of observation, you will take on an increasing role in patient encounters and learn the following under the preceptor’s supervision:

Taking patient histories.
Performing physical exams under the physician's supervision.
Presenting patients.
Entering or writing notes in the chart.
Have opportunities to research the literature to answer clinical questions at the point of care.
Being involved in patient education.
Have opportunities to teach other team members.
Spending time with other healthcare professionals to understand their roles and responsibilities.

You will receive regular feedback on your performance.

Who should consider this rotation: International medical graduates (IMGs) and students seeking US clinical experience or observership in Internal Medicine or Family Medicine.

How to obtain a letter of recommendation: The rotator should ask the preceptor for a LOR near the conclusion of the rotation. Dr. Desai has provided the physician with guidelines about best practices in letter writing that meet residency program requirements. In some cases, the preceptor may ask the rotator to write a letter of recommendation draft.

During the rotation: Our team will be checking in periodically with you to ensure that you are having an optimal experience. We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions during the rotation.

See Where Our Students Applying to Internal Medicine Have Received Interviews or Matched

Read Dr. Desai's Interview with Dr. Roy Ziegelstein (Vice Dean for Education at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Former Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center) about How to Match Successfully in Internal Medicine

TESTIMONIALS

Jun

"This rotation is actually the first four weeks of my U.S. clinical experience. The doctor helped me get familiar with the medical system in the U.S from 0. He is willing to do everything he can to help you."

HOUSTON internal medicine #3

#3

OUTPATIENT US clinical experience
IN Internal medicine

Specialty: Internal Medicine

MD2B Connect Physician ID # 35

Where will the rotation take place: This outpatient US clinical experience will take place 30 miles southwest of downtown Houston.

Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:30 AM to 5 PM

Hours have been provided by the preceptor. Hours are subject to change at the preceptor’s discretion, but the minimum total hours will remain approximately the same.

What you will do: This is an outpatient experience during which you will be under the supervision of a well-regarded physician educator who is board-certified in Internal Medicine. As an osteopathic physician, she has been actively involved in the education of third- and fourth-year medical students from the University of North Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. She enjoys teaching learners how to take complete/focused histories and exams, develop differential diagnoses, formulate treatment plans, and present cases. She holds a staff appointment at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital.

After a few days of observation, you will take on an increasing role in patient encounters and learn the following under the preceptor’s supervision:

Taking patient histories.
Performing physical exams under the physician's supervision.
Presenting patients.
Writing or entering clinic progress notes.
Have opportunities to research the literature to answer clinical questions at the point of care.
Being involved in patient education.
Spending time with other healthcare professionals to understand their roles and responsibilities.
Spending time understanding coding/billing

You will receive regular feedback on your performance.

Although this will largely be a clinical experience, there may be time set aside to work on a project to improve the physician's practice. Some possibilities include creating patient education handouts, writing a case report, EMR template creation, video editing, practice management support, and conducting patient surveys. Please note that the availability of these projects is at the physician's discretion.

Who should consider this rotation: International medical graduates (IMGs) and students seeking US clinical experience in Internal Medicine.

How to obtain a letter of recommendation: The rotator should ask the preceptor for a LOR near the conclusion of the rotation. Dr. Desai has provided the physician with guidelines about best practices in letter writing that meet residency program requirements. In some cases, the preceptor may ask the rotator to write a letter of recommendation draft.

During the rotation: Our team will be checking in periodically with you to ensure that you are having an optimal experience. We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions during the rotation.

See Where Our Students Applying to Internal Medicine Have Received Interviews or Matched

Read Dr. Desai's Interview with Dr. Roy Ziegelstein (Vice Dean for Education at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Former Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center) about How to Match Successfully in Internal Medicine

#4

Houston Internal medicine #4

Inpatient US clinical experience
in internal medicine

Specialty: Internal Medicine

MD2B Connect Physician ID # 124

Where will the rotation take place: This inpatient US clinical experience which will take place 25 miles north of downtown Houston.

Hours: Monday - Friday 7 AM to 6 PM

Hours have been provided by the preceptor. Hours are subject to change at the preceptor’s discretion, but the minimum total hours will remain approximately the same.

What you will do: This is an inpatient experience during which you will be under the supervision of a board-certified internal medicine physician. He has hospital appointments at multiple hospitals, including HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe Hospital, HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood Hospital, Tomball Regional Medical Center, Huntsville Memorial Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and CHI St. Luke's Hospital.

Please note that while this attending physician is a core faculty member of the internal medicine residency program at the HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood Hospital, the rotation will take place at a different hospital. Although the hospital where you will be based has a family medicine residency program, you will be working directly with the attending physician.

This preceptor is well regarded for his teaching. He is known to ask his students lots and lots of questions in a gentle way to promote learning. Through his style of teaching, you will be able to refine your skills in developing differential diagnoses and formulating assessment and management plans. You will learn how to synthesize data gathered from patients to make diagnoses and defend your clinical reasoning. When clinical questions arise at the point of care, you will be asked to prepare and deliver short presentations to the attending. Giving feedback is important to this preceptor; the frequent feedback you receive will help you grow through the course of the rotation.

This preceptor is also known for his compassionate bedside manner. You will be able to observe how an experienced clinician communicates efficiently and caringly with a culturally diverse patient population. Empathy, respect, and sensitivity are hallmarks of this attending's bedside manner.

The typical census is 18-20 patients per day. After a few days of observation, you will take on an increasing role in patient encounters and learn the following under the preceptor’s supervision:

Taking patient histories.
Performing physical exams under the physician's supervision.
Presenting patients.
Have opportunities to research the literature to answer clinical questions at the point of care.
Being involved in patient education.
Giving talks.

You will receive regular feedback on your performance.

There may be opportunities to participate in scholarly projects. Learners should let the physician preceptor know as early as possible of their interest in participating in a project.

Who should consider this rotation: International medical graduates (IMGs) and students seeking US clinical experience in Internal Medicine.

How to obtain a letter of recommendation: The rotator should ask the preceptor for a LOR near the conclusion of the rotation. Dr. Desai has provided the physician with guidelines about best practices in letter writing that meet residency program requirements. In some cases, the preceptor may ask the rotator to write a letter of recommendation draft.

During the rotation: Our team will be checking in periodically with you to ensure that you are having an optimal experience. We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions during the rotation.

See Where Our Students Applying to Internal Medicine Have Received Interviews or Matched

Read Dr. Desai's Interview with Dr. Roy Ziegelstein (Vice Dean for Education at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Former Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center) about How to Match Successfully in Internal Medicine

TESTIMONIALS

Jodi

"The doctor explained to me how to improve an oral presentation in detail, which helps me a lot in the future. Also, she explained my questions patiently and nicely when we finished each patient encounter. The doctor is supportive and helpful."

#5

Houston Internal medicine #5

TESTIMONIALS

Xiaolei

"The doctor is very good at teaching and educating. He asked questions during the rounds, elicited critical thinking about the medical cases and encouraged further learning on medical topics. He provided opportunities for me to get more interaction with patients and other team players. He is very knowledgeable. He explained in detail about the pathogenesis of the disease, the rationale of different drug uses and tests ordered for diagnosis differentiation. He always reviews the imaging results by himself and I have learned a lot on imaging reading including X-ray, CT and MRI. His bedside manner is most impressive. He takes time with his patients, listens to their stories and explains complex medical situation in plain language. As it is said, a good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease. There is no doubt he is the latter one. The doctor is so nice and friendly, to his patients, to the nurses, to his coworkers and to everyone. I never feel stressed working around him. He cared about my career development and would like to offer help."

Inpatient/outpatient US clinical experience
in internal medicine

Specialty: Internal Medicine

MD2B Connect Physician ID # 139

Where will the rotation take place: This inpatient and outpatient US clinical experience will take place 20 miles southwest of downtown Houston.

Hours: Monday - Friday 9 AM to 7 PM (please note that the attending physician has administrative duty on Fridays so he won't be in the office; however, you will be able to see patients in the office with the nurse practitioner)

Hours have been provided by the preceptor. Hours are subject to change at the preceptor’s discretion, but the minimum total hours will remain approximately the same.

What you will do: This is an inpatient and outpatient experience during which you will be under the supervision of a board-certified internal medicine physician. He has hospital appointments at multiple hospitals, including Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, CHI St. Luke's Sugar Land Hospital, and OakBend Medical Center. He has been involved in teaching international medical students for years, and his interest in teaching stems from his training when he served as chief medical resident.

In his practice, you will see adult patients with a wide variety of acute and chronic conditions. He is also committed to practicing preventive medicine and spends time with patients to ensure that they are well informed of the steps that they need to take to prevent disease.

He is also involved in patient care outside of his outpatient practice, and see patients in the hospital, in nursing homes, and in skilled nursing facilities. Please note that hospital rounds with this attending are very busy given that he has a high patient census. While the volume of patients will limit the amount of time that can be spent on teaching per patient, the preceptor will spend more time teaching on the particularly interesting cases that come to the hospital. Rotators are also encouraged to ask the preceptor questions to expand their knowledge of these cases.

Another aspect of this rotation is the opportunity to evaluate and manage wounds. Research across the world has shown that relatively few hours are devoted in medical school to wound-care education. As a result, many physicians enter practice with knowledge gaps in this area. In the wound clinic, you will encounter patients with a variety of wound types, and learn how to evaluate and manage these wounds.

After a few days of observation, you will take on an increasing role in patient encounters and learn the following under the preceptor’s supervision:

Taking patient histories.
Performing physical exams under the physician's supervision.
Presenting patients.
Writing notes (please note that these will be simulated notes for the doctor's review and will not be part of the medical chart)
Have opportunities to research the literature to answer clinical questions at the point of care.
Being involved in patient education.
Giving talks.

As a result of hospital policies, inpatient activities will be more observational. The hands-on component of this rotation will mostly take place in the outpatient setting.

You will receive regular feedback on your performance.

There may be opportunities to participate in projects in the office. Interested students should let the preceptor know early in the rotation.

Who should consider this rotation: International medical graduates (IMGs) and students seeking US clinical experience in Internal Medicine.

How to obtain a letter of recommendation: The rotator should ask the preceptor for a LOR near the conclusion of the rotation. Dr. Desai has provided the physician with guidelines about best practices in letter writing that meet residency program requirements. In some cases, the preceptor may ask the rotator to write a letter of recommendation draft.

During the rotation: Our team will be checking in periodically with you to ensure that you are having an optimal experience. We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions during the rotation.

See Where Our Students Applying to Internal Medicine Have Received Interviews or Matched

Read Dr. Desai's Interview with Dr. Roy Ziegelstein (Vice Dean for Education at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Former Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center) about How to Match Successfully in Internal Medicine

TESTIMONIALS

Kathleen

"The doctor has exceptional interpersonal skills. He is very professional and compassionate towards his patients. He is a good listener and communicator. He takes time to listen to patients' complaints and answer their questions in a simple, direct, and concise manner...Personally I have learned so much in the rotation."

Houston Internal medicine #6

Houston Internal Medicine#6

Inpatient Us Clinical experience
in internal medicine

Specialty: Internal Medicine

MD2B Connect Physician ID # 225

Where will the rotation take place: This inpatient US clinical experience will take place 70 miles north of downtown Houston.

Hours: Monday - Friday 8 AM to 5 PM

Hours have been provided by the preceptor. Hours are subject to change at the preceptor’s discretion, but the minimum total hours will remain approximately the same.

What you will do: This is an inpatient experience during which you will be under the supervision of a board-certified internal medicine physician. The attending holds a hospital appointment at Huntsville Memorial Hospital. As a hospitalist and team leader of a group of hospitalist physicians, this physician has extensive experience in leadership and teamwork and is excited to share with students how collaborative care in the inpatient setting can lead to better outcomes for acutely ill patients.

In this clinical experience, you will meet with the preceptor and the team upon arrival to receive an update and signout of patients from overnight. The updates will include a list of new and established patients. At this point, the list will be divided among the hospitalists and nurse practitioners. After a period of observation during which time you will become comfortable in your new environment, your preceptor will assign you several patients to follow. Your responsibilities will be to take their histories, gather all relevant information, and present these cases to the preceptor during attending rounds. At that time, you will discuss your thoughts with the preceptor and work together to formulate the day's plan of of care. New admissions will be accepted by the preceptor usually until Noon at which point admissions will be worked up by the nurse practitioners. After the plan of care is established, you will help the team execute the plan during the remainder of the day.

This preceptor enjoys serving the diverse patient population of the community in which the hospital is located. Approximately 40% of the population is Black or Hispanic. The median household income of the community is lower than other parts of Texas and the percentage of residents with college degrees is approximately 20%. The community is in the bottom fifth of health rankings in a number of areas, including health behaviors and socioeconomic factors. What this means is you will be working with a largely underserved patient population offering you rich opportunities to impact the lives of these patients.

Mortality rates in the community are higher in the community than other communities in Texas. The leading causes of mortality in this population are cancer, heart disease, chronic respiratory disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, sepsis, dementia, and chronic kidney disease. From a preventive medicine standpoint, rates of screening for such diseases as breast cancer and colorectal cancer are low. This will present you with significant opportunities to educate patients about preventive measures that can save lives.

After a few days of observation, you will take on an increasing role in patient encounters and learn the following under the preceptor’s supervision:

Taking patient histories.
Presenting patients.
Writing notes (please note that these will be simulated notes for the doctor's review and will not be part of the medical chart)
Have opportunities to research the literature to answer clinical questions at the point of care.
Being involved in patient education.
Working with other healthcare professionals to understand their roles and responsibilities.

You will receive regular feedback on your performance.

Who should consider this rotation: International medical graduates (IMGs) and students seeking US clinical experience in Internal Medicine.

How to obtain a letter of recommendation: The rotator should ask the preceptor for a LOR near the conclusion of the rotation. Dr. Desai has provided the physician with guidelines about best practices in letter writing that meet residency program requirements. In some cases, the preceptor may ask the rotator to write a letter of recommendation draft.

During the rotation: Our team will be checking in periodically with you to ensure that you are having an optimal experience. We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions during the rotation.

See Where Our Students Applying to Internal Medicine Have Received Interviews or Matched

Read Dr. Desai's Interview with Dr. Roy Ziegelstein (Vice Dean for Education at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Former Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center) about How to Match Successfully in Internal Medicine

TESTIMONIALS

Emmanuel

"It was an amazing rotation. The doctor was very kind and very accommodating to me even though I was new to the US system. The doctor was willing to teach and make patients comfortable and accepting of me. My rotation was enjoyable and very educative. The doctor was a brilliant preceptor."

Houston Internal medicine #7

Houston Internal Medicine #7

Inpatient/outpatient US clinical experience
in internal medicine

Specialty: Internal Medicine

MD2B Connect Physician ID # 239

Where will the rotation take place: This inpatient and outpatient US clinical experience will take place in Houston within 1-2 miles of the Texas Medical Center.

Hours: Monday - Friday 8 AM to 7 PM (Thursday morning off). Please note that this physician works 28 out of 30 days; although you are not required to come in on weekends, students seeking additional learning and clinical opportunities are welcome to join the attending on weekends.

Hours have been provided by the preceptor. Hours are subject to change at the preceptor’s discretion, but the minimum total hours will remain approximately the same.

What you will do: This is an inpatient and outpatient experience during which you will be under the supervision of an internal medicine physician. The doctor has hospital appointments at multiple hospitals, including Memorial Hermann Hospital and HCA Houston Healthcare, and has been involved in teaching international medical graduates for years. The physician is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine.

Students will rotate in the mornings at the outpatient clinic where they will see a wide variety of acute and chronic conditions. In the afternoons, rounds will take place in the hospital. Please note that hospital rounds with this attending are very busy given that there is a high patient census. The typical patient census is 20-30 patients.

After a few days of observation, you will take on an increasing role in patient encounters and learn the following under the preceptor’s supervision:

Taking patient histories.
Performing physical exams under the physician's supervision.
Presenting patients.
Have opportunities to research the literature to answer clinical questions at the point of care.
Being involved in patient education.
Giving talks.
Understanding roles and responsibilities of other healthcare professionals.

As a result of hospital policies, inpatient activities will be more observational. The hands-on component of this rotation will mostly take place in the outpatient setting.

You will receive regular feedback on your performance.

Who should consider this rotation: International medical graduates (IMGs) and students seeking US clinical experience in Internal Medicine.

How to obtain a letter of recommendation: The rotator should ask the preceptor for a LOR near the conclusion of the rotation. Dr. Desai has provided the physician with guidelines about best practices in letter writing that meet residency program requirements. In some cases, the preceptor may ask the rotator to write a letter of recommendation draft.

During the rotation: Our team will be checking in periodically with you to ensure that you are having an optimal experience. We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions during the rotation.

See Where Our Students Applying to Internal Medicine Have Received Interviews or Matched

Read Dr. Desai's Interview with Dr. Roy Ziegelstein (Vice Dean for Education at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Former Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center) about How to Match Successfully in Internal Medicine

TESTIMONIALS

B.A.

"This rotation allows you to become more independent and confident in a clinical setting. The attending was very caring and knowledgeable, and I learned a lot with him. "

Houston IM #8

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DR. SAMIR DESAI