The teaching unit comes under the Digestive System and Liver Department which combines Digestive System, Endoscopy and Hepatology departments, although we also work in collaboration with Internal medicine, Intensive care medicine, Emergencies and Radiodiagnosis, Nutritional support and Digestive Surgery Departments. 

In daily practice, resident doctors visit the patients along with their staff doctors, preparing the clinical record and making the physical examination under their supervision. They also make an assessment of the supplementary tests such as endoscopic, radiology, manometric, and anatomy and pathology examinations needed for proper decision making and to diagnose disorders of the oesophagus, stomach, intestine, colon, pancreas, liver and bile ducts. During residency, doctors get to know about the most frequent conditions in the speciality, and often have the opportunity to come across more complex cases, which are a model for interaction with other units at the hospital. In Hepatology they have the opportunity to learn about the features of severe or chronic hepatitis, or hepatic cirrhosis, as well as carrying out the diagnosis, serological tests, treatment and the possible complications, if there are any, and prevention. During their turn in Endoscopy they have gradual, supervised training that covers all from diagnostic examinations to basic therapeutic endoscopy, as well as assisting those responsible for advanced endoscopy techniques, such as endoscopic ultrasound and endoscopic retrograde colangiopancreatography.

Residents in the Digestive Department are on call for internal medicine during the first year and, subsequently, from the second year of residency onwards, are specialist on-call doctors (approximately 4 shifts per month), alongside a physically present department member.

The Digestive System Programme also carries out significant scientific work at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute and CIBERehd, with five lines of research:

• Gastrointestinal motility: clinical research into the digestive system’s sensory-motor function and its relation to diet, and abdominal and microbiota content.
• Inflammatory bowel disease: basic, translational and clinical research into inflammatory bowel diseases on subjects such as: interaction of intestinal microbiota with the intestinal mucous membrane; validation of biomarkers relating to clinical remission and response to treatment; the effect on intestinal microbiota of interventions with probiotics and prebiotics; validation of pharmacokinetic models; research into vaccine response or quality of life and patient satisfaction.
• Intestinal microbiota: the aim of this line of research is to understand the role of intestinal microbiota in digestive disorders using “omics” techniques.
• Pancreas and bile duct disorders: development of new experimental models to study the genes regulating the appearance of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic tumours.
• Neuroinmunogastroenterology: basic, translational and clinical research into disorders related to brain-intestinal axis dysfunction, such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia and chronic inflammatory illnesses such as microscopic colitis, coeliac disease, eosinophilic oesophagitis or diarrhoea caused by bile acids.

We offer you a teaching programme designed following the National Council for Digestive System Speciality’s programme. Internationally the department is recognised as a European Training Centre by the European Community's European Gastroenterology Board and as a receiving centre for the UEG Clinical and Research Visiting Fellowship programme and as a collaborator in the Rome Foundation Research Institute’s Investigator Network. Treatment-wise we have membership in national units of reference, such as the Neuroendocrine Tumours Committee and the Adult Primary Immunodeficiency Committee. Furthermore, from the research point of view, our unit has been recognised as a group of excellence by AGAUR (University and Research Grant Management Agency) since 2009 and as a CIBERehd (Centre for Network Biomedical Research on Hepatic and Digestive Disorders) group since 2008.

 Why practise this speciality at Vall d'Hebron?

• Because we have around 1,000 admissions to the hospital wards each year, which enables the acquisition of very broad clinical and care experience.
• Because we have a Semi-critical unit with 4 continuous 24 hour care beds where we look after patients with serious digestive disorders (digestive haemorrhage, acute pancreatitis, serious complications from cirrhosis and acute cholangitis) where a multi-disciplinary team works assembled from Hepatology, General surgery, Endoscopy, Radiology and Surgical vascular radiology.
• Because we are a part of the Specialist Outpatients Network (RAE/CAE): 3 specialist outpatient clinics making an average of 10,000 visits to the community annually.
• Because when on-call, the resident is supervised by the associate doctor on-call in the Semi-critical Unit during the three final years of residency, to ensure effective, safe learning.
• Because we have an accredited Crohn-Colitis Care unit where, apart from conventional medical care, patients are monitored biologically, psychologically and socially. We currently monitor a total of 2,800 patients, which means we can carry out clinical and basic research in the experimental laboratory.
• Because the Gastrointestinal Motor Disease Unit is a national and international benchmark for the study of patients with serious motor and functional disorders.
• Because we have the Pancreas unit, specialising in dealing with complex illnesses such as cystic fibrosis, serious pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic tumours and bile conditions, which are addressed by various committees in a multi-disciplinary manner.
• Because in the Hepatology Unit you have the most modern diagnostic procedures at your disposal and you will be able to participate in the treatment of portal hypertension-related complications, liver transplants and the use of the pioneering drugs.
• Because the Digestive Endoscopy Unit has the capacity to carry out 15,000 diagnostic and therapeutic examinations annually.
• Because we have state-of-the-art technology and equipment for diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy, including the most recent advances in surgery by mouth (POEM), enabling gastroscopy, duodenoscopy, colonoscopy, colangiopancreatography and endoscopy to be performed.
• Because we offer you, and, during residency, encourage you to collaborate in, research lines in the department, to learn scientific method, to read and write articles in a critical way, to take part in research studies and present the results at conferences and in publications to complement you training and CV, and to increase your competitiveness after the residency.
• Because at the end of the residency we support your incorporation into one of the research lines and your application for pre-doctorate grants to be able to do your doctoral thesis.
• Because the Digestive System Unit at Vall d'Hebron is in contact with the majority of the national and international scientific societies of reference, which makes internships abroad easier at the end of the residency.

The Angiology and Vascular Surgery Teaching Unit has one accredited position. It is part of the  Angiology and Vascular Surgery Department, but General, Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery are also involved. This ensures there is an opportunity to work in multidisciplinary teams.

The specialisation is carried out in the Outpatient Clinic, in Haemodynamics, on the wards, in surgery, and in the Accident and Emergency Department. It works both in Internal Medicine and Paediatrics.

During the training period, tutors supervise residents in a progressive way. Depending on which part of the training they are in, residents may carry out preoperative diagnostics and give surgical indications during operations and for immediate postoperative care. In addition, they carry out postoperative care on the hospital wards.

Other skills you will acquire include diagnostic imaging using all available methods: ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) scans, and magnetic resonance angiography among others, in addition to using the most advanced angiography techniques and therapeutic endovascular procedures.

If you do your residency with us, you will also have the opportunity to actively participate in organizing and developing courses, to analyse the Department’s surgical outcomes, to conduct literature reviews and be up to date with the latest innovations and aspects specific to the specialisation.

Angiology residents work with scientific research methodology and are equipped to write different kinds of publications in this field. Their objectives include two publications as first author and the presentation of two papers at scientific events. It is also recommended to dedicate time to the doctoral thesis, or least to start it.

Why should you specialise at Vall d’Hebron?

• Because the comprehensive care allows vascular specialists to offer patients the best of the effective therapies available, and makes it possible for residents to take part in diagnosis, medical treatment and surgical problems.           
• Because resident’s work in Angiology and Vascular Surgery encompasses both adults and paediatrics.
• Because you will undertake complementary training in areas of special interest for the specialisation that correspond to units or sections of the Department.
• Because the technical aspects include conventional and endovascular techniques specific to the specialisation, and also percutaneous techniques and intraoperative direct treatment.
• Because residents receive scientific training and write scientific publications for the Department and present papers at conferences in the specialisation at a regional, national and international level.  
• Because we offer continuous professional development, literature training and provide monthly research sessions, daily sessions on the healthcare activity, and a monthly mortality review.           
• Because we have courses related to cerebrovascular topics and endovascular techniques with international implications.   
• Because we offer the option to have a stay abroad in a hospital of your choice.
• Because we have a daily review system with department meetings held every morning. 

Our Teaching Unit attracts medical students from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, residents and specialists. Every year, it teaches over 120 resident doctors (45 of whom are the service's own residents) in the cross-cutting, specific skills of Anaesthesia and Resuscitation, and in Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) for anaesthesia, and complements the training of over 20 specialists in anaesthesia and other specialities. It also offers an advanced international training programme in Paediatric Anaesthesia. 

On our Campus, you have the opportunity to attend, learn and reflect on the care performed for all kinds of pathologies. In order to facilitate integration into the service and speciality, during the first month of rotation, the resident is trained in cross-cutting skills, via the Hospital's Teaching Unit, and in the basics of Anaesthesia and Resuscitation, through a personalised training plan. In addition to assisting in various areas, sessions and compulsory courses, the individual training plan for our residents includes participation in the theory-practical modules specifically designed for each training year. These are run by experts in the specific subject skill of the module.

The efforts of our Teaching Unit are directed towards training excellent, thoughtful professionals with a critical spirit, by and for our present-day society. 

In 2023 Dr. Marc Mendo, resident of Anesthesiology in Vall d'Hebron, wins the Jo Innovo Award 2023. His innovative project, 'High Level Support for Critical Situations', revolutionizes the response to cardiac arrest with a unique application. The award includes support from Vall d’Hebron to implement the idea, as well as an experience at the Karolinska Institute.

Why practise this speciality at Vall d'Hebron?

• Because the teaching here ensures safe, high-quality clinical practice, with Teaching Coordination that continually reviews and supervises the protocols and knowledge that are taught.
• Because we prepare you for a future in which residents can perform anaesthesia and resuscitation applied to all existing specialities and in any healthcare hospital.
• Because we have trained over 400 professionals and we have had extensive experience in training Anaesthesia and Resuscitation specialists since 1972.
• Because we offer residents a weekly course where practice and simulation is the most commonly used methodology, in order to ensure real, high-quality learning.
• Because we foster the participation of residents in existing lines of research.
• Because we also offer residents the opportunity of doing their doctoral thesis with us.
• Because we are the cutting edge and we include new surgical techniques, new diagnostic methods and treatments on demand. 
• Because the training we offer is cross-cutting and residents learn not only the most common, but also the most complex procedures.

The Allergology Unit has been training residents since 1982, and is where most heads of allergology divisions in Catalonia did their training.

We attend to outpatients regarding allergic respiratory disease, paying special attention to asthma, complex food allergies, hymenoptera allergies, chronic urticaria, atopic dermatitis, and drug allergies.

The Day Hospital carries out controlled drug exposure tests and chemotherapy and other drug desensitization therapies. The paediatric unit carries out food desensitization therapies. We also deal with hospital consultations on a daily basis.

The unit carries out clinical research  in the fields of  anaphylaxis, hereditary angioedema, food allergies  and  chronic urticaria. In terms of  experimental research , we offer the opportunity to carry out specific immunoglobulin E and G tests by biochip, and  basophil activation tests. Five doctoral theses have been supervised by the Unit and all its staff physicians are qualified Doctors of Medicine.

Why specialise at Vall d’Hebron?

• Because we are a tertiary hospital with outstanding departments. The number of patients who pass through the centre offers great potential for learning and gaining experience.
• Because we cover most specialisations and you will have the opportunity to see complex pathology and to use cutting-edge diagnostic techniques and treatments.
• Because our training programme can adapt to the initiative and vocation of each resident, with more emphasis on patient-contact or research according to their needs.
• Because you will have the opportunity to see complex pathology and use cutting-edge diagnostic techniques and treatments, such as monoclonal antibodies, the application of drug desensitization protocols and the management of hereditary angioedema.
• Because you will have the opportunity to present papers at national and European allergy conferences. At the most recent events we received awards for the best paper in several areas.
• Because we give fourth year residents contacts to assist with research and stays abroad. In recent years our residents have spent time in clinical allergy units in Rome and Montpellier, and in research centres such as the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. All fourth year residents are offered funding for the European Examination in Allergology and Clinical Immunology, which 85% of our residents have successfully passed to date.
• Because your knowledge will be continuously updated through a programme of specialised, literature and clinical sessions, which take place four days a week.
• Because in 2010 the Allergology Teaching Unit was assessed by the Allergology Department of the European Union of Medical Specialists, who accredited it as a Specialised Allergy and Immunology Training Unit.

Urology deals with the study, diagnosis and treatment of medical-surgical conditions associated with the urinary and retroperitoneal system of both sexes. It also includes the male reproductive system of any age group, that may have congenital, metabolic, obstructive or oncological disorders, or injuries due to trauma.

Why specialise at Vall d’Hebron?

• Because we are a tertiary hospital with outstanding departments. The number of patients who pass through the centre offers great potential for learning and gaining experience.
• Because we cover most specialisations and you will have the opportunity to see complex conditions and to use cutting-edge diagnostic techniques and treatments.
• Because our training programme can adapt to the initiative and vocation of each resident, with more emphasis on patient-contact or research according to their needs.

Prospective radiologists need a solid medical foundation to work closely with specialists from other medical disciplines. For this reason, training in diagnostic imaging, clinical radiology and bioethics is complemented with knowledge on pathological and functional aspects of diseases. 

Why specialise at Vall d’Hebron?

• Because we are a tertiary hospital with outstanding departments. The number of patients who pass through the centre offers great potential for learning and gaining of experience.
• Because we cover most specialisations and you will have the opportunity to see complex conditions and to use cutting-edge diagnostic techniques and treatments.
• Because our training programme can adapt to the initiative and vocation of each resident, with more emphasis on patient-contact or research according to their needs.

Pneumology deals with the physiology and pathology of the respiratory system. Its principle purpose is the study of the aetiology, epidemiology, physiopathology, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and rehabilitation of respiratory diseases. The therapeutic and diagnostic principles of respiratory medicine are similar to those of internal medicine, although there are differences that clearly distinguish each of the specialisations. The most important difference is their reliance on and mastery of specific techniques. Diagnostic techniques include lung function analysis, respiratory or thoracic endoscopy, polysomnography and cardiorespiratory polygraphy; while mechanical rehabilitation and ventilation are used therapeutically.

Why specialise at Vall d’Hebron?

• Because as a participant on the Pneumology training programme you will observe, study and treat patients (hospital admissions and outpatients) with a wide range of respiratory diseases.
• Because at the end of the residency you will be able to show competency and technical expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of a broad spectrum of acute and chronic respiratory conditions, both within and outside the hospital environment.
• Because you will be able to implement programmes related to prevention, healthcare promotion and education with patients, their families and their communities.
• Because you will have come into contact with experimental and/or epidemiological clinical research that will help you approach scientific literature with a critical mindset and develop the foundation for continuous self-learning.

"Ophthalmology is defined as the medical and surgical specialty related to the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders and diseases".

"Ophthalmology specialists attend to patients with ocular pathology. Their competencies include the study, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of eye conditions". 

Teaching activities 

• Training of students completing a degree in Medicine at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, in the subject of Ophthalmology, corresponding to the fourth year of that academic pathway.
• Organisation of doctoral courses included in official programmes to obtain the necessary credits for a doctoral degree.
• Supervision and tutoring of doctoral theses in the specialty of ophthalmology. This includes the entire process of completing a doctoral thesis: from choosing a topic, through field work and statistical study, to presenting the thesis before a panel of judges and the subsequent awarding of the doctoral degree.
• Internal residency training in the specialty of ophthalmology. The number of MIR places accredited each year in the specialty of ophthalmology at Vall d'Hebron Hospital varies between three and four depending on the Department's requirements.
• Complementing the training of MIR doctors from other hospitals, through training placements in our Department.
• Continuous training of the different professionals who make up the Ophthalmology Department. Includes clinical sessions (two a week for the entire Department, one presented by an attending physician and another by a resident, and one weekly for sub-specialty) and the organisation of conferences within our Department. To make the most of these, official accreditation is requested by official bodies.

he training of resident specialists in ophthalmology requires a special mention in this section, as it is one of our Department's priorities. To this end, we have a teaching structure based on each resident having a tutor, who is responsible for accompanying the resident during the four years of training. The ratio is one tutor for every 3-4 residents. They are responsible for ensuring the resident integrates into the Department, resolving any problems that may arise during the residency and acting as a means of communication between the various attending physicians, the Department Head and the resident. Tutors meet periodically with the residents they tutor, the other tutors in the Department and ultimate teaching leads (the Department Head and the Teaching Director). This is all geared towards achieving the best training profiles for our residents, so that by the end of the residency they are prepared to perform their professional role within the specialty with the utmost professionalism.

Why specialise at Vall d’Hebron?

• Guarantee of excellent surgical training.
• Guards in peers of Residents.
• All subspecialities in the center, including pediatrics.
• Research and active research.
• Theoretical Attachment Sessions 4x/Week 
• Extra practical training in surgery simulators.
• Course and congressional attendance.
• External rotational capability (4th year).
• Great environment in service.

The Nephrology Teaching Unit has a resident training programme with the following key tracks: extensive training in internal medicine, specific training in nephrology, in-depth knowledge of treatment techniques for renal failure, practical knowledge on diagnosis and therapies in nephrology, and practical knowledge of the role of the nephrologist in community healthcare.

Why specialise at Vall d’Hebron?

• Because we are a tertiary hospital with outstanding departments. The number of patients who pass through the centre offers great potential for learning and gaining of experience.
• Because we cover most specialisations and you will have the opportunity to see complex conditions and to use cutting-edge diagnostic techniques and treatments.
• Because our training programme can adapt to the initiative and vocation of each resident, with more emphasis on patient-contact or research according to their needs.

Internal medicine is a core medical speciality that is practised primarily in hospital settings, providing comprehensive care to sick adults. It uses a medical approach in the prevention, diagnosis, therapeutic indication and follow-up of diseases in adults, including during their rehabilitation and palliative care. Internists are the backbone of the hospital, offering their versatility in acute and emergency hospitalisation; carrying out consultancy roles in primary care; and offering innovation in areas other than conventional hospitalisation and in the socio-health field. 

The teaching unit is made up of 3 different departments. These include the Internal Medicine Department, which is broken down into the Systemic Autoimmune Disease Department, the Internal Medicine - Hepatology Department and the Infectious Disease Department. The Internal Medicine department is made up of different units which independently treat patients suffering from complex pathologies (Pleural Unit, Thromboembolic Diseases Unit, Autoinflammatory Diseases Unit and the Autoimmune Diseases unit). 

In daily practice, resident medical staff visit patients together alongside specialist physicians. During these visits, medical records are drawn up and physical examinations are carried out. Visits can also entail clinical ultrasounds, diagnostic-therapeutic examinations (thoracentesis, paracentesis, arthrocentesis, liver biopsy, etc.) as well as differential diagnoses and the provision of diagnostic guidance. The pertinent examinations are requested and the treatment is duly adjusted. 

During the IMR training, internal medicine residents learn how to diagnose and manage the most commonly found diseases on hospital wards and in internal medicine consultations. They will also learn about the most commonly treated pathology in other medical fields, obtaining a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary training that will allow them, upon the completion of their residency programme, to tackle a wide range of clinical scenarios with complete independence.  

Moreover, in terms of specific areas of interest, residents will learn how to manage immunosuppressive therapies and patients suffering from cirrhosis, HIV and nosocomial infections, amongst other pathologies.  

On-duty shifts are carried out in the A&E department in combination with inpatient care, preparing the Internal Medicine resident to treat critically ill patients in a fully independent manner upon the completion of their IMR training. It should be noted that residents treat patients suffering from a broad range of medical pathologies, meaning experience is gained in the management of patients suffering from conditions such as shock, respiratory failure (intubation and mechanical ventilation) and cardiac arrest.

Healthcare, teaching (sessions) and research tasks are carried out on a daily basis in all Internal Medicine departments. The Internal Medicine IMR will be progressively incorporated into these sessions, and will also participate in the research groups of his/her interest. 

Why specialise at Vall d’Hebron?

• Because we are a tertiary hospital with cutting-edge services. The volume of patients at the site offers great potential for teaching and acquiring experience through a multi-disciplinary comprehensive training programme. 
• Because, unlike other sites, we offer specific training programmes: general internal medicine, autoimmune diseases, hepatology and infectious diseases. 
• Because we cover most medical specialities, and you will have the chance to study complex pathologies and apply cutting-edge diagnostic and treatment methods.
• Because we have a Rapid Diagnosis Unit in which you can participate, as well as a multi-purpose day hospital which is coordinated by our department. 
• Because we perform the most cutting-edge diagnostic procedures (capillaroscopies, ultrasounds, PET/CT scans) in the Autoimmune Disease Unit; because we have more than 50 years’ experience in the treatment of patients with these kinds of complex diseases; and because we are a reference CSUR (Sites, Departments and Units of Reference) for this pathology. 
• Because in the Hepatology Unit you will have the most modern diagnostic procedures at your disposal and you will be able to participate in the treatment of portal hypertension-related complications, liver transplants and the use of the pioneering drugs.
• Because in the Infectious Diseases department you will have the most pioneering diagnostic procedures at your disposal, and you will also receive an introduction to imported pathologies, HIV monograph consultations, the management of diseases in organ transplant and immunosuppressed patients, etc.
• Because in the Pleural Unit you will be taught how to carry out a clinical diagnosis while learning how to detect pleural effusion in scans (ultrasound, x-ray and PET/CT). You will also collaborate with the thoracic surgery department throughout the entire diagnostic and therapeutic process. 
• Because you will learn how to manage venous thromboembolism, including the indication of acute and chronic invasive therapies. 
• Because you will carry out a differential diagnosis of multiple pathologies, including constitutional syndrome, study tumours and fevers without a focus. 
• Because you will receive training in the A&E department, carrying out on-duty shifts in the “pool” system. On-duty shifts in the A&E department and the hospitalisation ward.
• Because the Department is made up of specific national and international reference units. 
• Because we treat patients who have been admitted to surgical departments (Traumatology, General Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Neurosurgery) and the Obstetrics-Gynaecology Department in a collaborative manner, learning to assess pathologies related to these specialities.
• Because we offer you the chance to participate in peer to peer education. We feel that we learn how to communicate by teaching. 
• Because the resident collaborates in clinical studies during the final years of their specialist training. He/she will then present their results at a national congress and, if possible, publish them.
• Because the different departments are in contact with national and international scientific reference groups, which means ample opportunities for periods abroad at the end of the residency programme.
• Because you will participate in theoretical and practical courses with local, national and international certification.
• Because you will present clinical sessions under the supervision of the responsible physicians. During these sessions, open cases will be reviewed and closed cases will be discussed. You will also have the chance to attend clinical-pathological and bibliographical conferences. 
• Because you will have the chance to do rotation placements away from the site, depending on your areas of interest.
• Because we facilitate the training and scientific methodology for the various research lines, thus helping you obtain pre-doctoral grants for your doctoral thesis.
• Because during your residency, we offer you the chance to collaborate on tasks in some of your preferred research lines. This will allow you to focus your doctoral thesis on the topic that is of greatest interest to you.
• Because our teaching adapts to the initiative and vocation of each resident, with options ranging from the most care-oriented to the most research-oriented programmes.