Ambulatory Education
Ambulatory training has long been a highlight of the program. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine residents care for a great variety of outpatients in general medicine. Each PGY1 trainee begins a half-day general medicine continuity clinic at either Legacy Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation or the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. At the beginning of the second year, each resident adds a second half day of continuity clinic. Exposure to both clinical settings provides experience in adapting to various systems of care as well as the opportunity to manage an enormous variety of patients. Full-time faculty members provide long-term education and follow-up.
We are proud of our graduates who have gone into general internal medicine over the years. Please inquire about an updated list of graduates who have gone into general internal medicine as evidence of our success.
Other Continuity Clinic Experiences
Northwestern offers multiple continuity clinics that specifically offer care for underserved patient populations. Residents have the option for one of their continuity clinics to be at our community health partners, Erie Family Health Center or Near North Health. This clinic system is a fixture in Chicago and has won awards for their service work and affiliation with our residency. Spanish language skills are desirable in these locations but are not necessary. Additional clinical opportunities with a similar focus on patients who are uninsured or underinsured and facing multiple social determinants of health include the Near North Clinic, a Federally Qualified Health Center, and Northwestern's Transitional Care clinic.
Other ambulatory sites allow residents to gain experience with specific populations. There are continuity clinics embedded in the Geriatrics division, with providers who focus on LGBTQ+ health, and at Northwestern's Gender Pathways program, a multidisciplinary program for patients seeking gender-affirming care.
Ambulatory Blocks
All residents are exposed to several ambulatory blocks teaching outpatient medicine in different settings.
- Intern ambulatory block: This two-week block develops fundamental skills and includes several academic half-days for learning.
- VA Outpatient Urgent Care Clinic: Residents will have 6-8 weeks over three years managing common outpatient conditions in the veteran population.
- Transitional Care Clinic: This two-week block for second year residents exposes residents to inpatients discharged from the hospital but who lack access to follow-up, teaching a deeper level of systems of care.
Conferences and Reading
The Ambulatory Medicine curriculum includes:
- The Pre-Clinic Conference is a case-based session before each continuity clinic half day.
- Hopkin’s Ambulatory Education Modules are web-based modules residents complete to supplement their ambulatory education.
- Topics in ambulatory medicine are also included in our morning report and noon conference series.
Electives
Numerous electives are available in outpatient medicine, including a Women’s Health block, Dermatology, and all of the sub-specialties of medicine.
Research
Research opportunities abound for those interested. Topics include population health, quality improvement, healthcare disparities and informatics.
Learn about our Institute of Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM) as one of the examples of where trainees can find robust research opportunities.