Internal Medicine Residency – Norton

Residency at Norton Community Hospital

ACGME Accreditation Number: 1405100437; NRMP Match Number: 2216140C0

Welcome to the Ballad Health Internal Medicine Residency at Norton Community Hospital in Norton, VA. Hosted at the largest healthcare facility in the coalfield region, this program gives residents the opportunity to learn from highly trained physicians and see the positive impact their care has on a rural, underserved community.

Our program gives residents the opportunity to work one-on-one with attending physicians, as well as the support and guidance to pursue the internal medicine specialty that's right for them. By working with patients as their primary care provider, residents will gain a wealth of experience they can apply to any community, big or small, across the country.

Watch the video below to learn more about the program’s offerings and hear what the residents themselves have to say about their unique experiences at Norton Community Hospital.

“My experience and education will allow me to practice medicine confidently in various healthcare environments, including rural hospitals and larger tertiary centers. ”

Kenny Garcia, MD

– 2023-2024 Chief Resident

About our residency

The strength of the Norton residency program is its hands-on approach with direct responsibility in patient care. Enthusiasm for teaching – from physicians to support staff to administration – fosters a supportive, family-like atmosphere that gives residents a productive space for learning and growth.

Offering 27 slots and taking nine new interns each year, residents play a crucial part in the health care provided in the region, both in the hospital and in the resident clinic. Our program delivers a unique internal medicine residency experience that blends training at a rural acute care center, Norton Community Hospital, and urban tertiary care centers like Holston Valley Medical Center and Bristol Regional Medical Center.

Norton Community Internal Medicine Residency will prepare you for whichever path you choose. 

Our mission

Southwest Virginia has a population with unique health care needs. We’re committed to improving healthcare access this rural area with a high percentage of patients with chronic health issues. That’s why this region needs our residents – passionate, committed healthcare workers who can provide care to the Norton community.

Our goal is to attract and develop a diverse group of residents. The program strives to train residents to be leaders in medicine by teaching residents the importance of quality improvement so that patients receive the best care possible. We foster an environment that facilitates both learning and teaching while de-emphasizing the idea of time-based training and by delivering a competency-based curriculum that focuses on patient outcomes. This approach instills the value of hard work and dedication in each resident of our program.

Salary & benefits

We are committed to providing our residents with competitive salaries, educational support, and an extensive range of benefits to ensure their well-being and professional growth. Take a look at this residency's salary and benefits.

Curriculum

This program features a traditional Internal Medicine track, and emphasis may be tailored for individual residents depending upon their future practice area of interest. You have the choice between focusing as a hospitalist, traditional practice or out-patient practice in internal medicine.

Core rotations are completed at Norton Community Hospital, with subspecialty rotations available with affiliates in Northeast Tennessee.

Residents spend one-half day a week in an ambulatory medical clinic following their own patients throughout the course of the residency. 

The clinical experience is complemented by daily teaching rounds, morning report/grand rounds, journal club, ambulatory lectures, morbidity and mortality club, clinical case references, board review, and other self-directed learning activities.

Learn more about the curriculum.

Current residents & testimonials

Take a moment and get to know who you'll be learning from and working within the Norton Community Hospital Internal Medicine Residency.  

Meet your current residents

Training facility

Norton Community Hospital takes great pride in training young physicians for our rural, medically underserved area. This dedication has resulted in an increase in quality primary care for Southwest Virginia, surrounding areas, and the growth of our institution.

Specialties at our hospital include:

• A pulmonary critical care physician
• Black Lung Clinic
• Cardiology
• Orthopedics
• General surgery

Additional program details

The program has several educational resource materials that residents utilize for study, board preparation, lecture and everyday use. Educational components utilized are: POCUS, simulation labs, procedure workshops, Library Access to Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) and Ballad health which includes: NEJM, entire library of LMU textbooks which includes all the major publications from McGraw-Hill and Elsevier, subscription to ACP and their ancillary services such as Dynamed, Dynamedex, ACP newsletter, ACP practice changing updates, ACP journals and UpToDate. Test bank questions: UWORLD and MKSAP. Quality improvement education is provided through Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).

Resident wellness & lifestyle

Your years in residency will be exciting, educational and very busy! Our program supports the residents having time to themselves to ensure that they maintain their physical, emotional and intellectual well-being. The program supports the residents in the following ways:

• Great work/life balance
• Faculty Mentoring Program
• Scheduled wellness activities (Winter Holiday Party, teambuilding activities, retreats, etc.)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Free gym membership
• Continued medical education stipend

Availability & how to apply

This internal medicine residency offers 9 new positions each year.

Applicants for the Internal Medicine Residency Program must use ERAS to apply.

• ACGME Accreditation #: 1405100437
• NRMP Match #: 2216140C0

Criteria for traditional/medical student eligibility

• Three letters of reference
• Dean’s letter (MSPE)
• COMLEX/USMLE step 1/2/PE or CE
• Medical school transcript (LCME/COCA)
• Applicants must have graduated medical school within the last five years, preference will be given to those who have completed medical school in the last two years
• Applications will only be accepted through ERAS
• ECFMG certificate (if applicable)
• Application end date is last week of December (TBD)
• This location is not a J-1 Visa sponsorship site

Criteria for transfer resident eligibility

• Three current letters of reference from preceptors aware of clinical skills (must be current – within two years – with preference for the most recent) Dean’s letter (MSPE)
• Passing scores from COMLEX/USMLE step 1 and 2 (preference for step 3) and CE or PE
• Medical school transcript
• Curriculum vitae (CV) and/or personal statement
• Applicants must have graduated medical school within the last five years, preference will be given to those who have completed medical school in the last two years
• Program director’s letter. Must include:
  • All rotations completed pass or fall (evaluations will be required for all failed rotations)
  • Status/standing in the residency training program
  • In-service exam and/or in-training exam scores
  • Most recent internal medicine milestones review
  • Completed Verification of Training form (if applicable)
  • ERAS documentation
  • ECFMG certificate (if applicable)

Observation criteria

We are happy to offer on-site observation and shadowing opportunities for medical school graduates interested in applying to our Internal Medicine residency program. Approved applicants will rotate predominantly in the hospital with the IM residents/hospitalists and our Program Director in the continuity clinic setting. If you are interested in joining our residency, this will allow for more exposure to our residents, core faculty and program director.

Candidate must meet the following criteria for residency:

• ACGME Eligible for residency – Internal Medicine ©2023 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). An applicant must meet one of the following qualifications to be eligible for appointment to an ACGME-accredited program: (Core)
  • III.A.1. a) graduation from a medical school in the United States or Canada, accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) or graduation from a college of osteopathic medicine in the United States, accredited by the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (AOACOCA); or, (Core)
  • III.A.1. b) graduation from a medical school outside of the United States or Canada, and meeting one of the following additional qualifications: (Core)
    • III.A.1.b) (1) holding a currently valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) prior to appointment; or,
    • III.A.1.b) (2) holding a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the United States licensing jurisdiction in which the ACGME-accredited program is located.
• Have graduated or will graduate from an ACGME recognized medical school from the above criteria, within the last five (5) years
• Have a connection to the area
• Recommended by a Ballad Employed physician

If you meet the above criteria, please go to the following link for further information on the observation process and to complete an observation application. Please include complete explanations of the criteria information listed above in the “Additional Comments or Information You would like to Share” section of the application.

To apply for this opportunity, please visit Observation and Shadowing at Ballad Health. We offer opportunities throughout the academic year, except for July. We don't schedule site visits or shadowing while we are on boarding new PGY-1 residents. We only do observations for two weeks.

Why Ballad?

Nestled in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains, Southwest Virginia is a great place to work, play and live. Norton, VA has a huge variety of outdoor activities, most notably the Flag Rock Recreation area, which offers mountain biking, hiking, paddling, fishing and rock climbing. 

Come get to know us and our story.

Affiliate Hospitals

In addition to the hands-on experience residents receive in the Norton Community, they also have opportunities to shadow specialists in larger facilities and get experience with cutting-edge technology.

• Johnson City Medical Center – Residents would gain experience working at a Level 1 Trauma Center, as well as the opportunity to work with robotic-assisted surgeries.
• Indian Path Medical Center – Norton residents would have the opportunity to shadow specialists in cardiology, the birthing center, and cancer screening.
• Johnston Memorial Hospital – Residents would work with specialists that earned "High Performing" ratings in Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Heart failure, Kidney failure and Pneumonia.
• Bristol Regional Medical Center – Gain experience working in the state-of-the-art Deborah H. Quillen Birthing Center and an acclaimed Level III Trauma Center.
• Holston Valley Medical Center – Residents would have the opportunity to learn at this facility, which is in the top 10% nationwide for major cardiac surgery.

Contact information

If you have any questions, please contact the Norton Community Hospital Graduate Medical Education Office at (276) 679‑3488.

Contact Stephanie Cox by email at stephanie.roberts@balladhealth.org or by mail at the following address:

Stephanie Cox, C-TAGME
Medical Education Manager
Norton Community Hospital
Internal Medicine Residency Program
96 15th Street, NW
MAB #1, Suite 106
Norton, VA 24273
(276) 679‑3488