Internal Medicine Residency

Mission

Our mission is to educate residents so that they become skilled, empathetic, inquisitive, ethical, and versatile physicians capable of enhancing the health and welfare of the diverse patient community in Montana and beyond. Our program is committed to establishing a training curriculum that empowers physicians to showcase a top-tier level of healthcare and deliver the excellence, ingenuity, and value that patients desire in terms of convenience, service, affordability, and quality.

Leadership

Application

Curriculum

Benefits

Program Overview

The Benefis Health System Internal Medicine Residency Program will:

  • Cultivate an environment to nurture compassionate and respectful physicians dedicated to delivering high-quality care to diverse patient populations.
  • Provide residents with education in the principles of delivering value-driven care, addressing healthcare disparities, and managing population health effectively.
  • Encourage the growth of inquisitive and scholarly physicians who can apply cutting-edge scientific knowledge at the patient’s bedside to ensure the provision of the most current and scientifically sound care.
  • Promote diversity and inclusion within the program, fostering an inclusive culture.
  • Instill a sense of community and personal responsibility with a strong commitment to service.
  • Develop healthcare leaders who can innovate within diverse healthcare systems.
  • Prioritize resident well-being by fostering a culture of support, camaraderie, and mentorship.

Benefis Health System is dedicated to providing residents with significant experiences built upon a wide range of varying clinical opportunities. Residents will work in a highly supported learning environment with hand-selected faculty in required subspecialty practice areas. The leadership at Benefis will ensure residents receive access to all clinical, personnel, and educational resources required for a robust and fulfilling training experience in internal medicine. Our goal is to train highly motivated and academically talented physicians into the role of high-caliber internal medicine clinicians with a breadth of experiences. Our residents will graduate as physicians well-equipped to provide excellent clinical and interpersonal care and will be especially suited for providing primary care in areas of need.

Contact

Jordyn Allen, Ed.D.
Program Coordinator
Email: jordynallen@benefis.org
Phone: (406) 455-5463

Leadership

The Benefis Health System Internal Medicine Residency Program is proud to have a diverse and experienced faculty team with a wide range of backgrounds and expertise. These faculty members bring unique skill sets and a wealth of knowledge acquired through their work in various interdisciplinary, interprofessional, team-based healthcare delivery models. Having practiced in different inpatient and outpatient settings, faculty possess extensive practical knowledge.

View our Leadership Team

Training Sites

Benefis Health System

Benefis Health System will serve as the main training site for the Internal Medicine Residency Program. Benefis is a 614-bed multidisciplinary, acute care, not-for-profit medical center accredited by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Benefis Health System is the largest health system in northcentral Montana.

Application Process

The Benefis Internal Medicine Residency Program accepts applications through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Any information submitted outside of ERAS cannot be accepted. For questions about the recruitment process, please reach out to Jordyn Allen at jordynallen@benefis.org.

Application Requirements

To apply for the Benefis Internal Medicine Residency Program, submit the following documents:

  • Completed ERAS application
  • USMLE or COMLEX Step 1 report
  • Medical school transcript
  • Personal statement
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • MSPE (Dean's letter)
  • Registered to participate in NRMP

USMLE or COMLEX Step 2 will need to be successfully completed prior to starting our program.

Curriculum

General Structure:

Schedule

The Benefis Internal Medicine Residency Program has adopted a 3+1 (also known as an X+Y) format — three weeks of unit rotation with one week of clinic/ambulatory time.

By PGY, the following blocks will be provided:

PGY-1: Inpatient Medicine (4); Pulmonology; Cardiology; ICU (2); GI; Nephrology; Ambulatory; Palliative

PGY-2: Inpatient Medicine (4); Geriatrics; Hematology/Oncology; ICU (2); Night Float; Elective (2)

PGY-3: Inpatient Medicine; ICU; Night Float; Rheumatology; ID; Elective (3); Neurology; ED; Endocrinology

Planned Educational Activities for the First Academic Year

Academic Half Day

Takes place weekly on Tuesdays from 1200-1700. All residents will be relieved of clinical duties during that time by faculty. For residents unable to attend any portion of the session, a taped version and associated handouts/materials will be available for review within 24 hours. Some topics, such as those prioritized for the beginning of residency, will be delivered multiple times throughout the three-year program.

Schedule by 4-Week Blocks (13 per year)

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

1200-1300

Lecture1

Lecture1

Lecture1

Lecture1

1300-1400

Lecture1

Lecture1

Lecture1

Lecture1

1400-1500

Journal Club2

Critical

Appraisal/Research

Journal Club2

Patient Safety/QI

1500-1600

Board Review

Lecture1

Board Review5

M&M

1600-1700

DIO7

Wellness/Mentor8

High Value

Care9

Professional Development10

  1. Lectures will cover topics based on the ABIM internal medicine blueprint in similar ratios of frequency as in the blueprint.
  2. Journal Club will be presented by one faculty and one resident each session using a proscribed template and using critical appraisal techniques. Articles will be made available electronically the week prior to faculty and residents to engender discussion.

Quality personnel for the hospital will lead residents through a root cause analysis of an actual event.

  1. DIO meeting with residents/fellows will occur on the first Tuesday at this time of each calendar month.
  2. Wellness/Mentor sessions will explore techniques to enhance personal wellness with the help of the Wellness Program for the Hospitalists and provider coaches affiliated with Benefis. Mentors will check in with their residents during the second half of these sessions.
  3. High Value Care topics will be discussed. Resources include the “Things We Do For No Reason” from SHM and the High Value Care Committee from the ACP.
  4. Professional development will include discussions and efforts in support of cultural sensitivity and humility; patient experience; diversity, equity and inclusion; dissemination of medical knowledge; medical malpractice; etc. Also, when appropriate, performance feedback from the current rotation will be provided the last 15 minutes of the session.

Morning Report

Each morning from 0930 until 1000. All general medicine unit residents will be expected to attend. Review of new patients by residents from the previous day with the program director or designee. Presentations are expected to be brief and should report interesting findings, studies, and highlight medical decision making and assessment.

Afternoon Care Rounds

Occur on general medicine blocks on Monday and Thursday each week from 1400-1430.

Topics are developed from patient interactions within the team and are expected to be patient/case-based to explore clinical reasoning, diagnostic and therapeutic plans, and provide clinical pearls for the care of similar patients in the future. Evidence-based decision making will be emphasized.

Grand Rounds

Occur at noon on the fourth Friday of each month and are interdisciplinary. Topics/speakers are determined by the CME committee and appeal to multiple disciplines throughout the year.

Sessions are recorded for later review and may also be streamed virtually at the time of presentation. As an example, topics have included Plastic Surgery in Developing Africa; An Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine; Surgical Approach to Intracranial Hemorrhage; Amyloid Cardiomyopathy; Evaluation and Management of Pulmonary Embolism; Bedside Teaching; and Multidisciplinary Management of Cardiogenic Shock.

Asynchronous Learning

Recognizing the need to develop knowledge about a wide variety of topics that can best be performed individually in a self-paced modality, residents will complete the assigned trainings in the AMA GME Competency Education Program, POCUS, and the ACP High Value Care Interactive Online Modules.

Medical Knowledge Assessments

Residents will complete a 20-25 question assessment that is linked to that month’s board review topic that can be completed independently. The due date will be last day of month and may be taken at any time. Formative feedback as well as answers and logic will be provided by mentors at the next mentor check-in.

Pay / Benefits

Benefits will be offered through Benefis Health System, including health insurance.
Salaries (2025-2026):
PGY 1: $61,800
PGY 2: $65,400
PGY 3: $69,000

Interview Process

Interviews will begin in early October through December. Our program will be using Thalamus for scheduling and conducting interviews. For a more detailed explanation of this process, please email Jordyn Allen at jordynallen@benefis.org.

About Great Falls

Great Falls history begins with the Missouri River, which drops over 500 feet in a series of rapids and five waterfalls known as the “great falls” of the Missouri. Great Falls was formally founded in 1884 by Paris Gibson. Gibson learned of Great Falls through Lewis and Clark’s journal entries and made the trip from Fort Benton to see it for himself. Seeing the potential for railroad development, he and James Hill fronted the money to develop the city.

Great Falls has a population of 60,000, with a regional draw of more than 275,000 people in northcentral Montana. Great Falls is a wonderful and safe place to raise a family, with nationally ranked public schools and an average commute of less than 12 minutes. The quality of life in Great Falls is unsurpassed in the Rocky Mountain West! Additionally, the Missouri River, a blue-ribbon fly-fishing destination, runs through the middle of town. Outdoor activities include camping; hiking; horseback riding; water and snow skiing; rock and ice climbing; boating; whitewater kayaking; off-road motor sports; and upland bird, waterfowl, and big-game hunting.

Adventure is within arm’s reach in Great Falls as it is located about halfway between Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park. From Great Falls, Glacier National Park is only 146 miles, with Yellowstone National Park being 225 miles.

You will find many great things to do in Great Falls, Montana!