Physician speaking to residents in hallway

Graduate medical education in internal medicine at Mayo Clinic

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Overview

The Internal Medicine Residency at Mayo Clinic's campus in Arizona offers a fundamental, patient-centered training environment unlike any other.

As one of the premier tertiary referral centers in the Southwest, trainees see a fascinating variety of pathology, from bread-and-butter cases to rare conditions. Residents enjoy a balanced curriculum and a wealth of educational opportunities, renowned mentors, and personalized support. Small class sizes promote a culture of camaraderie amongst residents, fellows, and faculty – all within a medium-sized institution and all the benefits of Mayo Clinic.

Our internists graduate prepared to thrive in their careers in general or subspecialty medicine in both private practice and academic settings.

As a resident, you’ll experience a curriculum that provides a strong core with outstanding opportunities for personal adaptation through ample research and elective time, coupled with the strong mentors and resources of Mayo Clinic.

Program highlights include:

  • A balanced 4+4 block schedule: Four weeks of inpatient work paired with four weeks of ambulatory training. Academic transition days and personal half days are woven throughout the year.
  • Diverse, high-acuity, and complex pathology in a large academic center.
    • Home to the nation's largest adult solid organ transplant program. Mayo Clinic in Arizona has performed more adult solid organ transplants (heart, lung, liver, kidney, and pancreas) than any other center in the United States for five consecutive years, including a record 917 transplants in 2025.
    • Exceptional hematology and oncology training within an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center, on the campus of Arizona's number one ranked hospital.
  • Training across exceptional clinical sites, including Mayo Clinic Hospital, Valleywise Health Medical Center (Arizona's county hospital and Level I trauma center), the Phoenix VA Health Care System, and Circle the City, a nonprofit health care organization serving individuals experiencing homelessness in the Phoenix area.
  • A longitudinal point-of-care ultrasound curriculum with dedicated faculty, hands-on scanning sessions, and integrated assessment across the wards.
  • A commitment to community engagement, with rotations through Circle the City and Vincent de Paul Medical and Dental Clinic, the opportunity to rotate with the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, and the Indian Health Service, and participation in our longitudinal Health Equity Track.
  • A research curriculum built on strong, supportive mentorship, leading to national presentations and peer-reviewed publications. Residents can also apply for the Clinician Investigator Training Program after their first year of residency.
  • Dedicated conference time and funding, with ten paid conference days per year (separate from vacation) and $2,550 in annual funding to support travel to national and international scientific meetings.
  • International elective opportunities to serve underserved communities globally, with scholarship funding available through the Mayo International Health Program.
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration throughout the Mayo Clinic enterprise with a fully integrated electronic medical record across Arizona, Florida, and Rochester and the opportunity to rotate at either site.
Video: The Arizona Experience

Video: The Arizona Experience

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95%

residents who match into one of their top three fellowship program choices

#1

hospital in Arizona for 13 consecutive years (U.S. News, 2025-2026)

300

days of sunshine year-round

Resident writing on a piece of paper

Your training experience

As a resident at Mayo Clinic, you'll have access to robust clinical, educational, and research resources. You'll find support both inside and outside of the campus to promote physical and mental wellness and ensure your work/life balance.

Sarah Umar, M.D.

Frequently asked questions (and answers)

What is the patient population like?

The majority of patients come from Arizona, surrounding states and the Midwest. Most hospitalized patients are treated for common conditions, such as congestive heart failure, sepsis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary embolus.

In general, our patient population is an older population, often with a history of malignancy or organ transplant, making our residents proficient at handling complex decisions. Residents are also exposed to and treat rare diseases in nearly every field. Often, patients are referred to Mayo Clinic for evaluation by renowned experts, bringing complex cases from outside institutions to higher levels of care.

Ethnic diversity among patients is widely abundant on rotations at Mayo Clinic facilities, VA Medical Center facilities, and during opportunities at safety-net clinics.

How much autonomy will I have?

The intent of our Internal Medicine Residency is to produce proficient and competent physicians. Residents are directly responsible for their patients, and there is ownership and accountability in caring for each patient.

Our program relies on a team-based model to achieve these goals. On hospital wards, teams consist of two interns, a senior resident and a consulting physician. The intern evaluates the patient, then formulates and implements care management plans with the supervision and support of a senior resident and a consultant to provide top-level comprehensive care.

In the continuity clinic setting, each intern and resident is responsible for their own patient panel, directing comprehensive, ongoing care, again with supervision under consulting faculty. The level of autonomy incrementally increases as residents progress through training, and in the end, there is an exceptional balance of autonomy and independence, allowing our residents the opportunity to grow into competent and independent physicians.

What’s the work-life balance like?

Our residency program provides an excellent work-life balance while providing trainees with a solid foundation that serves graduates well into their future practice or fellowship. Residents and their families enjoy activities outside of the workplace afforded by the large Phoenix metropolitan area. Phoenix currently ranks as the fifth-largest city in the U.S., with 4.3 million people in the greater Phoenix area.

The city offers all of the cultural opportunities of a larger U.S. city, including access to professional sporting events, theater, arts, and various leisure activities such as shopping, golf and fine dining. Approximately 50 percent of our residents are married and often are raising a family. With a medium-sized program, residents are more than just colleagues — they are close friends, frequently interacting outside the work environment and reporting overall satisfaction with the work-life balance.

Accreditation

The Internal Medicine Residency obtained accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in 1994. We have full, continued ACGME accreditation with commendation as of January 2014.

Certification

Graduates are eligible to take the American Board of Internal Medicine examination. Our graduates have 100% pass rate overall since 2019.

Program history

Our first six residents began in 1995 and graduated in 1998. We are currently accepting 17 residents each year.

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Campus and community

Group of consultant, nurse, and residents discussing case in hallway at Mayo Clinic.

Stipend and benefits

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