Internal Medicine Residency Program
Desert Valley Hospital, a member of Prime Healthcare received accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to start a new Internal Medicine Residency Program in July of 2023. Internal Medicine residents receive their training at Desert Valley Hospital while also completing specialty rotations in clinics within Desert Valley Medical Group and throughout the High Desert. The addition of graduate medical education gives the unique ability to train future physicians who share a commitment to outstanding patient care and clinical excellence.
The three-year Internal Medicine Residency Program started the Residency program with eight internal medicine residents, has grown over the three years to a current cohort of twenty-six residents. Medical residents at Desert Valley Hospital work side-by-side and train under the supervision of an attending physician board-certified in their specialty. Successful completion of residency training is a requirement to obtain board certification in a selected specialty.
Our goal is to train residents to be compassionate and skilled physicians, ensuring they receive the experiences necessary to prepare them for a successful future in medicine. The success of our program is key to addressing the shortage of physicians in the High Desert. Having residents train here will not only bolster the numbers of clinicians in our community, but also train them with a unique understanding of the needs of our patients.
Prashanth Kumar, MD MPH
Program Director
Internal Medicine Residency
Desert Valley Hospital
Welcome Message – Prashanth Kumar, MD MPH
Welcome to the Desert Valley Hospital Internal Medicine Residency Program!
It is an honor to welcome you to our ACGME‑accredited training program. At Desert Valley Hospital, we are dedicated to providing a comprehensive and inclusive learning environment where residents can develop the knowledge, clinical skills, and professional values essential for the practice of high‑quality internal medicine.
Our program is built upon the ACGME Core Competencies—Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Professionalism, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Practice‑Based Learning and Improvement, and Systems‑Based Practice. Through structured didactics, evidence‑based teaching, robust clinical exposure, and direct faculty mentorship, we ensure that each resident progresses toward competency‑based milestones while maintaining patient safety and compassionate care as central priorities.
We proudly serve a diverse patient population, offering broad clinical experience across inpatient and outpatient settings. Our faculty are deeply committed to resident education, supervision, and scholarly activity, and we foster a culture that supports inquiry, reflection, and continuous quality improvement.
Resident well‑being is fundamental to our mission. We strive to create a supportive environment that promotes resilience, teamwork, equitable treatment, and respect. Our goal is to ensure that each resident feels valued, encouraged, and equipped to thrive both personally and professionally.
Thank you for considering Desert Valley Hospital as the next step in your medical training. We look forward to partnering with you on your journey to becoming a skilled, confident, and compassionate internist.
Internal Medicine Residency Program
The emphasis in the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Desert Valley Hospital is to graduate an Internal Medicine physician who is a well-trained clinician in all the major clinical disciplines as well as in the social, psychological, and preventive aspects of patient care. Residents gain hands on procedural experience including common procedures such as intubations, central venous catheter, thoracentesis and paracentesis. Working together, the faculty and residents are continually reevaluating the curriculum to adapt to the ever-increasing complexity and sophistication of health care. Every attempt is made to tailor the training to the needs and interests of each resident for each year of the residency program. The core requirements for the residency are based on current ACGME guidelines.
Program Information
Program Mission
The Desert Valley Hospital Internal Medicine Residency Program’s aims to provide a high-quality, well-rounded educational experience to train resident physician to be competent hospitalists, internal medicine physicians and/or pursue fellowship. The program will aim to address socio-economic disparities, increase access to healthcare and grow the number of physicians in Victorville CA, and the surrounding communities. The aims are to instill the core value of service and commitment to the under-served medical communities. Through a humanistic working environment and curriculum, the program intends to inspire physicians to promote wellness and enact positive change in existing models of care through clinically sound, responsible, innovative, and compassionate care.
Diversity Statement
San Bernardino County, specifically Victorville, is extremely diverse. We aim to capture and reflect the diversity in our residency personnel. Eventually, we hope to establish a diverse recruiting pipeline and retain our residents as faculty. Regarding residency personnel, we hope to recruit from the local community and provide tools and opportunities for advancement within our organization.
Program Aims
Desert Valley Hospital’s Internal Medicine Residency Program’s goals are to train high quality internal medicine physicians that exemplify and respect the profession. Create an environment for scholarly activity and quality improvement with a focus on topics applicable to the community. Encourage life-long learning and improvement. Increase the number of internal medicine physicians in the High Desert. Address socio-economic barriers to healthcare in the community. Prepare residents for the ABIM board exam.
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To train well-rounded internal medicine physicians providing evidence-based, cost-effective, and high-quality healthcare.
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To instill in internal medicine physicians the importance of diversity and wellness for the mind and body.
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To recruit high-quality residents from diverse backgrounds that are committed to the region.
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To promote lifelong growth as a physician and within the healthcare system.
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To support faculty and residents in scholarly activity specifically designed to improve patient care, access, quality, and outcomes.
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To grow and sustain high-quality faculty through faculty development and mentoring.
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To provide an educational curriculum that is innovative, responsive, and flexible to the learning goals of the residents and that will prepare them for the ABIM board exam.
The Residency Program is in Southern California, in a region with unparalleled diversity. The program currently boasts diversity in its faculty and staff that is reflection of the community. The vision is to maintain our diversity by recruiting residents as mentioned in the prior section and eventually retaining them in our program. With time we hope to build a pipeline that continues to build the diversity in our program and serves the community by inspiring lower income high school students, mentoring underserved undergraduate students, fostering local medical students in primary care, and then recruiting and retaining physicians in the community and program.
The program aims to mirror this diversity in its residents. We will recruit an applicant pool that has roots in the region and display an interest in contributing to the region.
We will continue to utilize the traditional markers for ranking applicants i.e., Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) application, Curriculum Vitae (CV), letters of recommendation (LOR); however, an applicant cannot be fully assessed based on metrics. We will view the applicant as a complete individual and ultimately recruit applicants that can serve the increasingly diverse population of the High Desert and its surrounding areas.
Values
Clinical
- To train residents through an evidence-based curriculum, to become well-rounded internal medicine physicians providing evidence-based, cost-effective, and family-centered healthcare to an underserved community.
- Encourage screening process of certain diagnosis such as substance abuse, depression, etc.
- To continuously improve clinical care through QI projects.
Education
- To actively recruit a richly diverse team of residents.
- To engage residents through bedside learning, multi-disciplinary coordination and learning, didactics, procedure workshops, and opportunities to personalize their training and support their autonomy through electives, inter-professional roles, and committee memberships.
- To grow and sustain faculty through development and mentoring.
Research
- To support faculty, residents, and medical students in community-based and clinical research specifically designed to improve patient care, quality, and outcomes.
- To guide and support residents throughout the research process from inquiry to presentation.
Graduates
- To produce internal medicine residency graduates with distinctive qualities and abilities that enable them to become community leaders, public servants, leaders in their medical fields in research and development, and ultimately instruments to invoke change and improvement in healthcare and society.
Program Goals
The Prime West Consortium Desert Valley Hospital Internal Medicine Residency Program goals for our residents are to: Create an environment for scholarly activity and quality improvement with a focus on topics applicable to the community. Encourage life-long learning and improvement. Increase the number of primary care physicians in the High Desert region. Address socio-economic barriers to healthcare in the community. Prepare residents for exam passage for the ABIM board exam.
About Desert Valley Hospital & Desert Valley Medical Group
Desert Valley Hospital
Desert Valley Hospital, a member of Prime Healthcare, is an accredited 148-bed acute care hospital located in Victorville, California. Desert Valley Hospital ranks among the top 5% of more than 4,500 hospitals nationwide for clinical performance. The hospital has achieved numerous quality award distinctions including “100 Top Hospital” recognition, Patient Safety Excellence Award, Women’s Health Excellence Award and Distinguished Hospital Clinical Excellence Award. Desert Valley Hospital, along with Desert Valley Medical Group, offers key services to the community including heart care, emergency services, labor and delivery, surgical services and more.
Desert Valley Medical Group
Desert Valley Medical Group has over 35 physicians in a broad range of specialties practicing throughout offices in the High Desert region of Southern California. Our doctors are committed to providing quality medical treatment and work to promote your good health in a professional and caring environment.
Contact Us
Internal Medicine Residency Program
Desert Valley Hospital
16850 Bear Valley Road
Victorville, CA 92395
DVH-IMRP@primehealthcare.com