Our primary care residents consider the Penn Center for Primary Care their home. We are a smaller program within the larger Penn Family. Building relationships, supporting each other, and having fantastic mentorship are a key parts of the community we have built here.
“One of the biggest attractions to the Primary Care program for me was having a second clinic in the community.”
Primary Care residents have two continuity practices: one at the PCPC and a second, community-based site. The community-based continuity clinic experience has been very popular among primary care residents and compliments the continuity clinic experience that the residents receive. There is a vast array of practices available to the primary care residents. Residents generally tailor their community-based clinic to their specific needs or interests.
“I learn from some of the best and most experienced educators in the department.”
The Primary Care core faculty have a breadth of clinical experience that helps to enrich the education of the Primary Care residents. The faculty consists of physicians who have been practicing medicine anywhere from six to thirty-five years. This gives the residents exposure to a vast array of faculty who trained and practiced in a variety of different environments.
“I really feel like I am treated like a partner in the PCPC practice.”
Primary Care residents are considered partners in the PCPC practice and practice alongside the core faculty. In addition to seeing their own patients, it is common for the primary care residents to see some of the faculty’s patients as well. Conversely, when a resident’s patient needs close follow-up and the resident in not available, the patient is often seen by a faculty member who has openings in their schedule. In this way, the residents and faculty function as a cohesive team to better care for our patients – just like partners in any good medicine practice.
“My primary care co-residents and faculty feel like my family within the residency program. Having a small group of smart, passionate and like-minded people to be friends with and to garner support from has been an invaluable part of my experience at Penn in the last three years.”
The primary care residents spend a lot of dedicated time both working and socializing together. Nearly half of their PGY-2 and PGY-3 years are spent in the ambulatory setting as a group. As a result, the primary care residents develop deep friendships with their colleagues. This tight-knit peer group gives residents the support they need for both their work and home lives.
I decided to switch from the categorical program to PCPC for a couple of reasons. The most salient of which was the community in PCPC. PCPC is filled with mentors who care about your professional and your personal growth. Because you spend every other month with a smaller cohort of coresidents and the PCPC attendings, you really get to know each other so well. Because of this time together everyone grows into a family. The other main reason I chose to join was for the continuity with my patients. Having an available clinic every other month means you really get the chance to know your panel of patients and provide the longitudinal care that is the beauty of Primary Care. PCPC was the best decision I made in residency and I am so grateful to be a part of this wonderful family of physicians. – Nicole Scaramella, MD
The primary care track has been the ideal balance of training between inpatient and outpatient for me. After intern year, I felt confident inside the hospital but not in the clinic, so I have welcomed expanded outpatient training in PGY-2 and PGY-3 years for my own growth as a general medicine physician.The fact that the primary care track has its own training clinic means my colleagues and mentors are sharing the same emphasis and goals on ambulatory medicine. It feels great to come "home" every other month to the PCPC community! – Michael Wang, MD
I love how close-knit the PCPC family is and the flexibility and opportunity it provides to prepare for an outpatient career in primary care (or for me, in subspecialty care as an oncologist!). – Kaitlin Demarest
PCPC is a family within larger internal medicine program. You have the ability to have more balanced training with outpatient time. You also have a more well rounded ambulatory experience overall and in subspecialty training that is applicable to both those who are primary care and subspeciality bound. – Sarah Syed