Resident Profiles - Michael Bauml, MD, PGY-1

Michael Bauml, MD

Medical School: Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine

I initially chose to interview at the Cleveland Clinic based upon its reputation as a national leader in general and subspecialty medicine.  Upon arriving the day of my interview, my goal was to gather as much information as possible to determine if this was a place where I could see myself happily spending at least the next three years of my life.  After interacting with many residents and staff,  I left with the distinct impression that this was not only an outstanding academic program with world-renowned faculty but also a friendly, resident-centered program that sincerely cares about helping each of its residents achieve their career goals.

During my interview season, I reflected on all the places I had seen and tried to continually reassess exactly what characteristics I was looking for in an Internal Medicine program.  By the end,  I realized that most important to me was a program that could provide an exceptional clinical education, plentiful research opportunities, appropriate career guidance and mentorship, and be able to foster an atmosphere of camaraderie and teamwork.  While I probably could have been content training at a number of the other great program that I visited, I was ecstatic to hear than I was coming to the Cleveland Clinic because it truly exemplifies these characteristics that I was seeking.

One of the things that drew me to the Cleveland Clinic was its ability to train exceptional, well-rounded physicians in both clinical and academic medicine.  I left my interview day at the Cleveland Clinic very impressed with the achievement of the house staff in terms of the production of high quality research projects as well as fellowship and job placements.  I determined that the residents that train at CCF are so successful because of the excellent clinical training that they receive from top faculty as well as the program's commitment to produce physicians well versed in research and academic medicine.  

The CCF Internal Medicine Residency Program has a policy that all residents must complete research as part of their graduation requirements.  This consists of a 30-60 minute oral presentation and completion of a written project suitable for publication or presentation.  The program  provides resources and classes to assist in completion of the project and each resident receives reserved blocks of time to complete their projects.  If your project is accepted at a national or regional meeting, CCF will pay for your expenses to go and present.   Residents can also apply for the ABIM Research Pathway or the Clinical Scholar Program in which 2nd year residents can get a four-month block of time dedicated to research, clinical teaching courses, didactics, and continued clinical training.   Some may find that research is not their calling but often find that the project was still valuable as it helps in future analysis of scholarly publications.   Others will love the experience and it will strengthen their desire to pursue further research opportunities.  Either way, I mention this as just one example of how the residency program is structured to accommodate to individual residents to produce superiorly trained graduates with all the tools necessary for future success.

I am now over three months into my residency training and have to say that my experience to this point has far surpassed any expectations I had.  All the staff have been amazing in both their medical knowledge and desire to teach residents.  I love the fact that training at the Cleveland Clinic involves caring for a diverse group of some of the most complex and interesting patients in all the world.  It is very common to have several patient under your care that have traveled from a far distance away (often internationally) just to seek their medical treatment at the Cleveland Clinic.   The residents in my class are truly an outstanding group of people and the atmosphere of learning is one of cooperation rather than competition which makes it an exceptional place to train.   The program, while already top-notch, is clearly continuing to improve year by year under the direction of  Dr. Nielsen and the associate program directors.  They are always open to suggestions and are continually looking at possible ways to improve the program for the sake of the residents.  The administrative staff are extremely knowledgeable and helpful and make day to day life that much easier.  Overall, this is an incredible program and I could not be happier with my decision to pursue my medical training at the Cleveland Clinic.