Orientation
Prior to starting clinical responsibilities, incoming residents undergo three weeks of residency preparation. We provide training that covers the electronic medical record system (Epic), history-taking, and clinic visit framing. New residents shadow senior residents and faculty to acclimate to our clinic. Residents also receive training and certification in obstetric and pediatric emergencies.
Incoming residents learn about the history and social context of Philadelphia through a pre-orientation curriculum and a series of lectures and neighborhood tours. There are a variety of social and community-building events hosted by senior residents to welcome the newest members of our residency family. During orientation, new residents are paired with a faculty advisor as well as a residency "buddy family", consisting of a PGY-2 and PGY-3 resident to help guide and mentor them.
PGY1 Rotations
Intern year is the foundational year, during which residents build the breadth of their knowledge base through immersive experiences. In addition to the time spent with our department, Family Medicine interns rotate with some of the nation's top residency programs in the Departments of Internal Medicine, OB/Gyn, Emergency Medicine at Penn, as well as one of the top Pediatric residencies through the Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania. Continuity care is one of our top priorities, so throughout intern year residents return to their "home base" at least once a week to see their primary care patients at Penn Family Care and build relationships with their patients. At the end of intern year, residents select one of three Core Curricular Tracks: Community Medicine, Inpatient/Academic or OB/Reproductive Health.
- Family Medicine Office – 1 block
- Family Medicine Inpatient – 2 blocks
- Family Medicine OB (Days) ;– 1 block
- Internal Medicine – 1 block
- Adult ER – 1 block
- CCU – 1 block
- Peds Inpatient – 1 block
- Behavioral Medicine – 1 block
- Newborn Nursery – 1 block
- Urgent Care Ambulatory Pediatrics – 1 block
- Gynecology – 2 weeks & Night float OB – 2 weeks
- Family Medicine OB (Night float) – 2 weeks
Longitudinal Elements: Prenatal Care and Continuity Patient Care
PGY2 Rotations
The second year of residency is the transitional year, during which residents from learners and front-line clinicians to senior residents. Equipped with a solid foundation from intern year, PGY2s build their level of responsibility for patient care and for the education of junior residents and medical students, as the Labor Floor chief on the FM OB team, and as a senior resident on the FM inpatient team. Second year includes rotations beyond the walls of Penn, with community-based partnerships throughout Philadelphia, as well as rotations in health systems management. While the core curriculum is consistent regardless of curricular track, PGY2s will have extra time dedicated to OB, inpatient or work in the community, as well as 6 to 8 weeks of elective, to allow residents to meet their individual professional goals. The amount of time spent outpatient at the Penn Family Care clinic increases significantly, as residents grow more comfortable and confident in their skills as a PCP.
- Family Medicine OB – 1or 2 blocks*
- Family Medicine Inpatient – 1 block
- Family Medicine Clinic ;– 1 block
- Outpatient Surgery – 1 block
- Health Systems Management and Quality Improvement ;– 1 block
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine – 1 block
- Behavioral Health – 1 block
- Geriatrics – 1 block
- Sports Medicine – 1 block
- Community Medicine – 1 block
- Electives – 6 or 8 weeks*
- Night Float – 3 x 2 week blocks
Longitudinal Elements: Prenatal Care, Procedure Clinic training, Continuity Patient Care
PGY3 Rotations
The third year of residency is a transformative year, when residents evolve from trainees into independent clinicians ready for graduation from the program. With 14-16 weeks of elective, each resident can refine the specific skills they need for their chosen career path. Recent graduates have opted for fellowships in areas like surgical OB, sports medicine, palliative care, and faculty development or have gone directly into practice as attendings at residency programs (with and without OB), FQHCs, community-based organizations.
- Family Medicine Inpatient Chief – 1 or 2 blocks*
- Community Medicine – 1 block
- Cardiology, Urology, ENT – 1 block
- Ortho & Sports Med 2 – 1 block
- Office – 1 block*
- Adult Urgent Care and Dermatology – 1 block
- Urgent Care Ambulatory Pediatrics – 1 block
- Electives – 14 or 16 weeks*
- Night float – 1 x 2 week block
*varies by track designation, elective time equal in all tracks
Longitudinal Elements: Prenatal Care, Procedure Clinic training, Continuity Patient Care, Quality Improvement Project
Embedded Specialty Clinics
To ensure adequate training exposure and patient access, our clinic utilizes a model of embedded specialty clinics within our primary care office. Residents rotate through clinics specialized to provide OB, procedures, medication-assisted therapy for substance use disorder management, LGBTQ+ care, psychiatry, transitions in care and HIV/Hepatitis. Although all these types of care are provided in our routine primary care sessions, the "specialty clinic" model allows residents to rotate under direct supervision of a faculty member with specific expertise, typically with a 1:1 faculty:resident ratio, to ensure that our residents learn best-practices in each of these focus areas. Read more about our program highlights here. Read more about our program highlights.
Didactics
The main residency didactics are held every Thursday morning from 8am to 12:45pm. These sessions are led by a combination of Family Medicine faculty and senior residents, as well as experts from across and outside of the University of Pennsylvania.
In addition, rotation-specific didactics are provided during inpatient rotations such as Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine OB and Family Medicine Inpatient. Prior to each afternoon clinic session, there is a 15-minute faculty- or resident-led afternoon report.