Family Medicine Hands-On Outpatient Rotation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attending Introduction
Your attending is a board-certified family medicine physician with experience spanning primary care, urgent care, and addiction treatment. Before entering medicine, they worked in the biotech industry for nearly a decade, bringing a unique perspective to their career transition into healthcare. They completed their family medicine residency in Pennsylvania at UPMC Washington and later stayed on as faculty, contributing to medical education and resident training.
Over the years, they have practiced in a wide variety of settings, including urgent care, correctional health, and treatment centers, before returning to primary care in order to focus on continuity of care and building lasting patient relationships.
Students rotating with this attending will gain exposure to comprehensive family medicine as well as insights into the evolving models of patient care such as direct primary care. Their nontraditional path into medicine offers valuable lessons in resilience, adaptability, and the diverse opportunities within family medicine.
Rotation Description
During your Family Medicine clinical rotation with FMG Portal, you will gain broad exposure to primary care, focusing on the comprehensive and continuous care of patients of all ages.
Additionally, your performance during this rotation will lead to obtaining a US LOR, which is essential for your upcoming residency program applications.
Patient Care:
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Comprehensive Histories and Physical Exams: Conduct thorough patient interviews and physical examinations across all age groups, from infants to the elderly.
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Diagnosis and Management: Develop differential diagnoses and management plans for a wide range of acute and chronic conditions, such as infections, hypertension, diabetes, and musculoskeletal issues.
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Preventive Care: Emphasize health maintenance and disease prevention, including vaccinations, cancer screenings, lifestyle counseling, and wellness check-ups.
Clinical Skills:
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Procedures: Learn and perform common office procedures such as suturing, abscess drainage, skin biopsies, joint injections, and pap smears.
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Point-of-Care Testing: Utilize office-based diagnostic tools, such as rapid strep tests, urinalysis, and glucometers.Chronic Disease Management: Monitor and adjust treatment plans for chronic illnesses, focusing on long-term patient outcomes and quality of life.
Professional Development:
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Communication Skills: Develop effective communication techniques for interacting with patients and families, including motivational interviewing and delivering bad news.
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Cultural Competence: Understand the importance of cultural sensitivity and adapt care to meet the diverse needs of patients from different backgrounds.
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Ethical and Professional Conduct: Emphasize professionalism, patient confidentiality, informed consent, and ethical decision-making in everyday practice.
Typical Activities/Procedures
Patient Appointments:
Conducting initial and follow-up appointments, managing acute and chronic conditions, and performing routine health maintenance.
Letter of Recommendation
LORs are on the official clinic letterhead. You may also ask the attending to include hospital affiliations on your LOR, and you can also mention them on your CV and Personal Statement.
Location & Schedule
*Exact address provided once signed up.
*Rotation is a minimum of 20hrs/week.
*Schedules change often and we recommend speaking with the office manager to have the most updated daily scheduling.