General Information
If I complete the Primary Care Program, will I still be able to apply for a subspecialty fellowship?
Yes, with only slight variation, the inpatient educational experience of the primary care residents is identical to the categorical internal medicine residents. The primary care residents spend additional time in the ambulatory setting and spend less time on subspecialty consult services. Given the robust inpatient and outpatient training and Penn’s national reputation nationally, the primary care residents are extremely successful in matching in top specialty programs. It is our belief that the exceptional ambulatory training is beneficial to many of the medical specialties. We are able to create personalized outpatient subspeciality experiences tailored to your clinical interests. That said, the focus of the program is to train residents for practice, academic, and leadership opportunities in general internal medicine.
Does it make sense to rank both the Penn non-Primary Care and Primary Care programs?
Yes. Because the Primary Care Program matches only six applicants per year, acceptance into the program is quite competitive. For applicants who are attracted to the Penn System for any of several reasons, we encourage applicants to rank both the Categorical and Primary Care Programs. We do not bias our reading of your application based on whether you applied to both programs or just the Primary Care program. Each year, up to two categorical internal medicine residents are permitted to enter the primary care track. So, if you match in the Categorical Program, there may still be a chance for you to enhance your primary care training by switching into our program.
For Primary Care residents, where is home - HUP or PPMC?
BOTH! All Penn residents rotate equally through the inpatient wards at HUP, the VA and PPMC. Categorical residents have continuity practice at one of the three sites, but all the primary care residents have their continuity practice in the Penn Center for Primary Care which is located on the PPMC campus. However, if you ask any of our residents they will tell you that the PCPC clinic is truly their home.
How do I apply to the Primary Care Program?
It is important to remember that the Primary Care Program has a distinct and separate NRMP match number, so ranking the Categorical Program alone will not allow us to consider you for an interview. If you did not originally apply to the Primary Care Program but decide after your interview with the Categorical Program that you would like to be considered, please contact us and we can make this adjustment to your ERAS application.
You may contact either Dr. Nandiwada, the Program Director, or Renata Holloway, the Program Coordinator. Their contact information has been provided below:
Penn Center for Primary Care
51 N. 39th Street
Medical Arts Building, Suite 102
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-662-9233
Renata.Holloway@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
