Program Philosophy
Our Family Medicine Residency Program seeks to train astute clinicians who understand the impact of psychosocial factors on patients and their diseases. The delivery of personal, continuing, and comprehensive health care to patients of all ages requires that family physicians maintain their compassion for patients and their motivation to pursue their career goals.
Recognizing the challenge of these tasks, the faculty has developed specific goals for each year and makes use of different educational techniques at each level of training. We believe the non-cognitive, humanistic aspects of physician-hood are best learned through the development of close personal and professional relationships with role-model family physician faculty, who are actively involved in practice and in faculty development programs.
Residents experience significant personal growth and restructuring of important relationships during the three years of residency education, as do their families and significant others. Our resident/advisor program is designed to provide both anticipatory guidance and support for the many personal and professional tasks that must be accomplished during this exciting and very special time in preparing for a strong and successful career in family medicine.
Curriculum Overview
PGY-1
The first post-graduate year is a transition from the largely theoretical knowledge of medical school to the practical decision-making of the bedside. During this year, the emphasis is on hospital medicine and emergency care, with residents spending nine months on inpatient rotations and three months on outpatient care. For continuity of care, residents begin to establish the panel of outpatients they will follow for three years. Lectures, case presentations, bedside rounds, and direct patient care are all part of this year's curriculum.
PGY-2
During the second year, residents build on their decision-making skills related to in-hospital care as they learn the basic skills of ambulatory care. As they spend increased time in the Family Medicine Center and in surgical and medical subspecialty outpatient rotations, they become generalists using an integrated biopsychosocial model. They also develop an appreciation for understanding and treating the patient in the context of the family unit and the community. This critical area of growth comes from close preceptorship with practicing family physicians as well as talented behavioral science faculty. Didactic sessions, rounds, and case presentations focus on the ambulatory care setting. There is also one elective month to pursue individual educational goals.
PGY-3
During the third year, the major emphasis is on defining the scope of family medicine for each individual resident. Residents continue in-hospital and ambulatory care training, but become more focused on psychosocial care, practice management, and the unique issues of family medicine. There are three elective months during this year, offering each resident maximum flexibility in attaining their educational goals. The focus also continues to shift from formal teaching to developing lifelong learning skills; career counseling, practice planning, and advising conferences help in these areas of growth. Senior residents are expected to teach the junior residents - an important aspect of their continuing medical education - through case discussions, chart audits, and supervising first-year residents on inpatient rotations.
| Family Medicine | Medicine | Surgery | Obstetrics | Pediatrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FM Ambulatory OP | FM/Med In-Patient SPH | General Surgery SPH | OB Days SPH | Nursery/Dev Peds SPH |
| Behavioral Med OP | FM Med In-Patient SPH | OB Night Float Albany Medical Center | In-Patient Peds Floor Albany Medical Center | |
| OB Days/Peds Albany Medical Center | MICU Albany Medical Center | Ambulatory Peds OP |
| Medicine | Family Medicine | Pediatrics | Gynecology | Ortho | Elective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FM Med In-Patient SPH | FM Night Float SPH | Ambulatory Peds OP | GYN OP | Ortho OP | Elective |
| FM Med In-Patient SPH | 2 Weeks OB NF | In-Patient Peds Floor Albany Medical Center | Elective | ||
| Dermatology OP | 2 Weeks OB Days/Peds Albany Medical Center | ||||
| Cardiology OP |
| Medicine | Family Medicine | Emergency Medicine | Geriatrics | Sports Medicine | Elective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FM Med In-Patient SPH | FM Night Float SPH | ED SPH | Geriatrics OP | Sports Med OP | Elective |
| FM Med In-Patient SPH | 2 Weeks OB NF | Peds ED Albany Medical Center | Elective | ||
| 2 Weeks OB Days/Peds Albany Medical Center | Elective | ||||
| Elective |
Albany Medical College's residency programs are affiliated with Albany Medical Center, Albany Stratton VA Medical Center, St. Peter's Hospital, Capital District Psychiatric Center (CDPC), and surrounding community hospitals. This network offers residents a wide range of educational opportunities. A full list of facilities can be found here.
In addition, our learners train at the following locations:
Family Medicine Center
Located adjacent to Albany Medical Center's main hospital, the Family Medicine Center is a state-of-the-art facility with 34 exam rooms, two procedure suites, a dedicated laboratory, an urgent care clinic, an integrative medicine room, residency offices and large resident work spaces, a large library, and a gym for employees and residents. The center’s large precepting area is used to discuss cases with the attending preceptors, pharmacists, and behavioral scientists; the residency suite is equipped with a resident lounge, kitchen, large classroom, lockers, and a lactation room.
St. Mary’s Healthcare
At St. Mary's Healthcare, located in nearby Amsterdam, New York, residents work closely with an orthopedic surgeon in his office, at the hospital, in the operating room, and in the emergency room.
St. Peter’s Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
Residents provide medical care for a 40-bed unit at this 160-bed skilled nursing facility in Albany.
Community Care Physicians
Albany Family Medicine, a division of Community Care Physicians, offers a unique integration of quality patient care and medical education. Physicians and non-physician staff are dedicated to promoting wellness and preventing illness and injury across all age groups, from infants, to adolescents, to adults.
The first residency program to partner with Engeye Health Clinic in Uganda, our faculty, residents, and staff have actively led and joined more than 15 medical mission trips to Engeye, in addition to serving on the organization's Board of Directors and health Committees, and supporting education and public health programs in the community.
While visiting Engeye, our family medicine residents work side by side with the Ugandan staff, who offer quality health care in a resource-low community six days a week. Residents see patients, diagnose and manage infectious diseases, treat chronic disease, provide prenatal care, and deliver babies in the Engeye Maternity Center. They're also able to participate in home visits, where they provide immunizations and health care to the community’s most vulnerable patients. Residents also attend CME teaching sessions led by the Ugandan staff and participate in ongoing CME teaching sessions onsite. In 2019, they provided the first Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) course ever offered in Uganda; all Engeye staff are now certified in ALSO and Helping Babies Breathe.
Family medicine focuses on preventive medicine and caring for the whole person in context. Residency training can be a stressful time and the habits and patterns that are developed during this period can be transformational. We believe that to do well and care for others, we must be well. No longer is it acceptable to care for others without regard to oneself. Our program has activities designed to encourage self-care and wellness, including:
- Intern forum on resident resilience
- Wellness chief
- Balint group (PGY-2 & PGY-3)
- Wellness days, two per academic year
- Three weeks total vacation per year (one week in three blocks)
- Narrative medicine series
- Wellness lectures
- In-house fitness gym
Our goal is to help residents and faculty develop the skills necessary to be resilient no matter what the circumstances. Our aim is not to eliminate anxiety or stress, but rather to cultivate a resident who is proactive in their own self-care with the skills of health promotion to model for the patients we serve. While our residents are with us for only a short period, we see our role as helping them to develop lifetime learning skills that will aid in both their clinical and personal life.