Continuity Clinic
The Family Medicine Residency continuity clinic is located in the Family Health Center's primary care clinic at our Capitol Hill Medical Center. The entire clinic serves 35,000 patients and is located on the fourth floor of a facility which also includes most specialty care providers.
Within the residency clinic, there is a spacious office for the residents, two exam rooms for each provider, a conference room, a preceptor's office and library, and a small lab. The behavioral scientist and pharmacist are also located in the cluster.
All exam rooms are equipped with computers to facilitate the use of our electronic medical record. A minor operating room, observation room, and injection room are also available, shared by the entire clinic. A fully staffed pharmacy and lab are located in the same building. Radiology is located in the building next to the clinic.
Clinic Staff
The clinic's registered nurses, licensed practical nurse, medical assistants, and receptionists are linked in triads to form care teams. The nurse (RN or LPN) is responsible for telephone consultation, direct patient care, and practice management. The medical assistant (MA) is responsible for maintaining the clinic flow, maintaining the exam rooms, and proactively reviewing patient registries.
Patients
The Family Medicine Residency's patient population reflects the richness of its urban setting. Patients represent the entire spectrum of racial, cultural, age, and socioeconomic diversity. Among our clinic patients, 30 percent are of a race other than white, 26 percent have government-subsidized insurance, and 12 percent speak a language other than English in their home. Interpreters are readily available for the wide range of languages spoken. Medicare, Medicaid, and Basic Health (a state-funded insurance program for the working poor) are all honored in both the inpatient and outpatient settings.
Patients are made aware of residents' particular interests and language skills through biographical leaflets.
Each resident has a panel of patients for whom that resident is the primary care provider. New residents are assigned about 150 patients from outgoing third-year residents and build their practices over their three years of training.
Clinical practice teams of first-, second-, and third-year residents (R1, R2, and R3), along with a core faculty member, help ensure continuity of care for patients when the primary physician is unavailable. Both a pharmacist and behavioral scientist are present in the clinic for consultation with residents as well as patients.
Residents are scheduled to work in the clinic as follows:
- R1s: 2 half-days a week
- R2s: 2 to 3 half-days a week
- R3s: 2 to 4 half-days a week