The first year of training lays the broad foundation of Family Medicine including core inpatient rotations in Pediatrics, Surgery, Obstetrics, and ICU, as well as several months on our own inpatient medicine service, with ambulatory care integrated throughout. The second year promotes leadership with supervisory inpatient experiences, a weekly seminar in behavioral science and psychiatry, training in cardiology, the musculoskeletal system, and night float. Residents also participate in a unique one-month Community Medicine rotation, focusing on patients, families, and their communities (plus see below!). The third year emphasizes comprehensive ambulatory practice, geriatrics, sports medicine and electives.

Throughout the three years, residents develop a continuity practice at the Family Medicine Center. First-year residents follow their own patients at least one half-day per week; second- year residents three to four half-days per week; and senior residents four to five half-days per week. During the third year, each resident has two rotations as office chief, with daily management decisions and responsibilities of a busy community family practitioner. Practice management is an integral part of training.

Continuity of care is emphasized throughout the three-year curriculum. With the supervision of family medicine faculty, residents follow their office patients who become hospitalized and provide the prenatal, delivery, and post-natal care for women and infants from their practice. Geriatrics is integrated throughout the residency and supplemented with patient care at an extended care facility and a geriatric clinic.

Residents spend three blocks in the first year, and two blocks in each of the R2 and R3 year on the Family Medicine Inpatient Service, covering patients from the Family Medicine Center and from other family physicians. Second year residents assume supervisory responsibility for our first-year house officers in medicine.

Call is handled differently on various rotations. When residents are on other services, such as surgery or pediatrics, they take call as outlined by that service. When residents are on their own family medicine inpatient service, the call schedule is made by our chiefs. We have recently changed our call schedule, where you no longer take 24 hour call on our inpatient rotation. Night float is used during the week nights, and on the weekend we have 12 hour shift coverage. Residents on our inpatient rotation end up with two full weekends off!

On all rotations family medicine residents are given patient care responsibilities that are equal to other categorical residents. In the hospital, 24 hour IV and blood drawing teams and a computerized laboratory system are available to maximize time for clinical problem solving, teaching, and learning.

Special curriculum and dedicated time is provided for other important areas of professional training including evidence based medicine, occupational health, radiology, and practice management, among others.

We are committed to adult learners and the fact that individuals develop along different paths within family medicine. We have worked to maximize elective time and to maintain curricular flexibility to enable residents to pursue their own special interests.

And finally, you will simply need to ask one of us why we have photos of Puerto Rico!