Orientation
Prior to starting clinical responsibilities, in June, incoming residents undergo three weeks of residency preparation. We provide practical training that covers the electronic medical record system (Epic), high yield medical knowledge didactics, and orientation to the outpatient, inpatient, and obstetrics settings. 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 West Philadelphia on the first day of orientation. Additionally, interns participate in the West Philadelphia Walk, which is led by community leaders who share their lived experiences to help our residents have a grounded understanding of the environments in which our patients live, work, and seek support. We hope this West Philadelphia Walk helps our family medicine physicians witness both the strengths and challenges of the community firsthand through its history, local leaders, green spaces, neighborhood stores, and systemic barriers that shape health outcomes. Learning directly from community leaders, who hold deep relationships and lived experience within the neighborhood, helps our physicians better appreciate the social and structural determinants affecting their patients’ lives. We genuinely hope that this shared time builds cultural humility, strengthens trust, and equips our physicians to deliver care that is more compassionate, context‑aware, and aligned with the real needs and priorities of West Philadelphia residents.
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, or OB.
- Family Medicine Clinic – four weeks
- Family Medicine Inpatient – eight weeks
- Family Medicine Inpatient Orientation to Nights – two weeks
- Family Medicine OB (Days) – four weeks
- Family Medicine OB Night float – two weeks
- Internal Medicine – four weeks
- Adult Emergency Medicine – four weeks
- MICU – two weeks
- OB Days – two weeks
- OB Night Float – two weeks
- Pediatrics Inpatient – four weeks
- Newborn Nursery – two weeks
- Urgent Care Ambulatory Pediatrics – four weeks
- Behavioral Medicine – four weeks
- Longitudinal Elements: Prenatal Care and Continuity Patient Care
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 10 weeks of elective and 4 weeks of selectives (track-specific electives), 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 – four weeks
- Family Medicine Inpatient – four weeks
- Family Medicine Clinic – two weeks
- Health Systems Management and Quality Improvement – two weeks
- Pediatric Outpatient – four weeks
- Geriatrics – four weeks
- Sports Medicine – four weeks
- Community Medicine – four weeks
- Electives – 10 weeks
- Selectives (Track-specific electives) - four weeks
- Family Medicine OB Night Float – two weeks
- Family Medicine Inpatient – two weeks
- Jeopardy – two weeks
- Longitudinal Elements: Prenatal Care, Procedure Clinic training, Continuity Patient Care
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 7.5 months of elective and selective time across residency, 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, geriatrics, and faculty development or have gone directly into practice as attendings at residency programs (with and without OB, with and without inpatient), FQHCs, and community-based organizations.
- Family Medicine Clinic – six weeks
- Family Medicine Inpatient Chief – four weeks
- Night float (OB or Inpatient) – two weeks
- Community Medicine – four weeks
- Health Systems Management and Quality Improvement – two weeks
- Dermatology/Cardiology/Surgery – four weeks
- Sports Medicine – four weeks
- Pediatric Urgent Care – four weeks
- Jeopardy – two weeks
- Electives – 10 weeks
- Selectives (Track-specific electives) -- six weeks
- Longitudinal Elements: Prenatal Care, Procedure Clinic training, Continuity Patient Care, Quality Improvement Project
*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, MOUD 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.
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.