Forty million dollars has been appropriated for a new medical information system. The hospital has a capacity of 905 beds, with approximately 180 of these assigned to Internal Medicine. Parkland maintains an occupancy rate consistently above 90 percent. There are not many private patients, and house staff enjoy the autonomy necessary to become excellent primary-care physicians. Twelve services staff the internal medicine wards at Parkland, three services admitting every fourth night.
Interns receive at least three days off duty each month.
The average service census is eight to ten patients. Most patients are admitted from the emergency room and are acutely ill. A broad spectrum of illness presents de novo off the street, challenging the house officers, who are always the first to evaluate patients. Common medical problems are encountered frequently, allowing the interns to become exceedingly adept at their management, but many of the patients referred to the faculty for tertiary care are hospitalized at Parkland. The Coronary Care Unit Service has three admitting teams, each consisting of one attending physician, one resident, one intern, and one or two fourth-year medical students.