• Attending one of the top medical schools for an internist will not only help you with your understanding of internal medicine, but is one factor in determining your salary later on. Your internist education will include four years of undergraduate school, four years of medical school, and three to eight years of residency. Some schools offer programs that combine the undergraduate and medical study, allowing you to complete these courses in six years.
  
  

John Hopkins University

• In 2009, U.S. News and World Report ranked John Hopkins University as the top medical school for internal medicine. The university offers an education in general internal medicine (GIM), a Hopkins GIM Fellowship, and two training programs. The GIM program addresses such principles as evidence-based medicine, clinical epidemiology, cost effectiveness, and decision-making skills, and the education is provided in both small and large classes, and on the Internet. The Osler Center for Clinical Excellence, located on the college grounds, supports the university's clinical and residency training. The GIM fellowship is a two- to three-year program in either clinical research or medical education. The training programs include research in behavioral aspects of heart and vascular diseases, and research in primary care and health services.
  
  Johns Hopkins University
  School of Medicine
  733 N. Broadway
  Baltimore, MD 21205
  Phone: (410) 955-3182
  hopkinsmedicine.org
  
  

Harvard University

• Ranked number two in U.S. News and World Report's 2009 list of best medical schools for an internist, Harvard University is known for its excellent education in any field. In preparing its students for careers in internal medicine, Harvard takes a holistic approach. The university recognized the significant changes occurring in the health industry, and established its program to address these changes. They also view the necessity of being able to cope with new technological advances in medicine. The curriculum reflects this holistic approach with small, interactive tutorial learning sessions, teaching group investigation and analysis of real patient cases rather than textbook memorizing, a strong emphasis on the patient-doctor relationship, and more student involvement in their own education. By teaching its students the latest scientific and clinical information, the university hopes to graduate doctors who will provide their patients with more effective and compassionate care.
  
  Harvard University
  Medical School
  25 Shattuck Street
  Boston, MA 02115-6092
  Phone: (617) 432-1550
  hms.harvard.edu
  
  

University of California---San Francisco

• Ranked number three by the 2009 U.S. News and World Report, the University of California---San Francisco's general internal medicine program provides an education that reflects the growing medical and social needs of both students and patients. The university's Primary Care Research Center is known nationally for its focus on research in such areas as disparities in medical care and improving health care for vulnerable populations. The internship at UCSF includes 10 months rotating between hospital and emergency care and two months on the ambulatory block working in urgent care and subspecialty clinics Interns will handle the care of a number of patients at the San Francisco General Hospital General Medical Clinic for 1/2 day per week throughout the year. The second and third years are divided into two-month blocks devoted to in-patient rotations. Other tracks available are social medicine and behavioral medicine.
  
  University of California--San Francisco
  School of Medicine
  513 Parnassus Avenue, Room S224
  San Francisco, CA 94143-0410
  Phone: (415) 476-4044
  medschool.ucsf.edu/