Graduate Primary Care Training: A Collaborative Alternative for Family Practice, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics

Abstract

The Residency Program in Social Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center is a collaborative, integrated training program for primary care pediatricians, internists, and family physicians within one interdisciplinary organization. Since 1970 we have trained more than 200 physicians, prepared them for board certification in their specialty, emphasized the psychosocial aspects and social determinants of health and illness, and shared a faculty, curriculum, and commitment to provide medical care for inner-city, underserved populations. We discuss the program's history and curriculum, administrative and academic structure, shared "cross-track" faculty units (psychosocial; social medicine; and research, education, and evaluation), and graduates' practice outcomes. The interdisciplinary character of the Residency Program in Social Medicine helps physicians successfully serve the underserved and exemplifies that interdisciplinary medical education succeeds when interdisciplinary health care teams are organized for optimal patient care. Only the federal government has the perspective and power to foster more interdisciplinary collaboration and strengthen primary care education in a period of shrinking resources.

Medical Residents' Perceptions of End-of-Life Care Training in a Large Urban Teaching Hospital

“…The social internal medicine program and programs in family medicine and social pediatrics comprise the Residency Programs in Social Medicine, which address the broad range of issues in the health care of the poor urban community of the Bronx. 22 The categorical internal medicine residency includes ICU, oncology and geriatrics rotations, with periodic patient-focused bioethics and psychosocial rounds. The primary care and social internal medicine residencies devote 50% of the second and third year of training to ambulatory care sites, with regular psychosocial seminars during ambulatory months.…”

Neurobehaviour rounds and interdisciplinary education in neurology and psychiatry

“…Interdisciplinary education and treatment in medicine is receiving increasing attention, especially in several key areas (Strelnick et al 1988; Branch et al 1991; Burke & Inui 1992; Arnold & Willoughby 1993; Bulger 1993; Musfeldt & Hart 1993; Pearlman et al 1993; Fields et al 1995; Freeman et al 1995; Hoffman & Johnson 1995; Kahn et al 1995). For example, the development of `critical pathways' has relied upon multi‐disciplinary collaboration, and the value of this approach has been documented previously (Musfeldt & Hart 1993).…”

Use of Race and Ethnicity in Biomedical Publication

“…The goal was to train pediatricians who would possess the skills and willingness to practice in underserved communities and would remain in those settings for extended periods. 3,4 We assessed the practice locations of all RPSP graduates who participated in the program between July 1970 and June 2002.…”