Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

I am an orphan: A medical school without a family medicine department

Seth Rosenblatt, MD
Education
August 24, 2013
Share
Tweet
Share

I am a fourth year medical student that attends an institution that does not have a department of family medicine.

Currently there are only 10 such allopathic institutions in the country.   When I tell colleagues and friends that I intend to enter family medicine they say, “oh primary care?”  While yes, it is true that family physicians obviously practice primary care, I am disheartened that my colleagues do not know or understand what family medicine is.

At my medical school we are required to do a 8 week “primary care rotation” but not with a family physician or in a family medicine inpatient unit, since we do not have a department.  Most students are paired with internists and only see adults.  Some students are allowed to be with primary care pediatricians, which is excellent, however they already were able to experience this during their pediatrics rotation.  It is also permissible to be with a specialist for part of the time, with the argument that even if one goes on to study primary care, they will have to rotate through the various subspecialties.

By not exposing students to full spectrum family doctors, I think the school is performing a disservice, and not allowing students to be exposed to the specialty. When I inform students that family doctors provide prenatal care, deliver babies, do procedures, have to do a surgery rotation, and in some areas can even man the ICU and ER, they look at me dumbfounded.

When I tell specialists that  I want to enter family medicine it’s either an, “oh that’s interesting,” “good luck,” or, “how did you wind up being interested in that.”

I have had  only one true family physician role model throughout my almost four years of training.  I have had to take two weeks of anesthesia as a graduation requirement, but not family medicine.   In a class of 180 students, when 8 choose to go into family medicine it is considered a “good year.” Not even 5%.

This is the true future of primary care, and as a past public health practitioner and future family doctor, it frightens me.  That medical students can graduate from medical school not having a knowledge of family medicine, the second largest specialty that students enter (although only half of match spots are filled by US graduates because no one wants to enter primary care).

The National Resident Matching Program likes to fictitiously report that there were “more matches then ever” in primary care, however they consider anyone matching into pediatrics, family medicine and internal medicine as a primary care entry, when in reality only a small fraction of the internal medicine and pediatric residents will go on to practice primary care.  The high majority will subspecialize.

As I embark on interview season as an orphan, I hope that I can make it apparent how much of a passion I have for providing patient centered primary care to patients of all ages, even though this was not a mandatory part of my medical curriculum.

Seth Rosenblatt is a medical student.

Prev

MKSAP: 51-year-old man with increased fatigue and decreased exercise tolerance

August 24, 2013 Kevin 0
…
Next

The beauty of direct pay physicians

August 24, 2013 Kevin 75
…

Tagged as: Medical school, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
MKSAP: 51-year-old man with increased fatigue and decreased exercise tolerance
Next Post >
The beauty of direct pay physicians

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More in Education

  • Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

    Anonymous
  • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

    Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH
  • What led me from nurse practitioner to medical school

    Sarah White, APRN
  • Bridging the rural surgical care gap with rotating health care teams

    Ankit Jain
  • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

    Hiba Fatima Hamid
  • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

    Momeina Aslam
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Why the fear of being forgotten is stronger than the fear of death [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why what doctors say matters more than you think [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The hidden incentives driving frivolous malpractice lawsuits

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • Bureaucracy over care: How the U.S. health care system lost its way

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why the fear of being forgotten is stronger than the fear of death [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How a rainy walk helped an oncologist rediscover joy and bravery

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
    • How inspiration and family stories shape our most meaningful moments

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • A day in the life of a WHO public health professional in Meghalaya, India

      Dr. Poulami Mazumder | Physician
    • Why women doctors are still mistaken for nurses

      Emma Fenske, DO | Physician
    • How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 7 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Why the fear of being forgotten is stronger than the fear of death [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why what doctors say matters more than you think [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The hidden incentives driving frivolous malpractice lawsuits

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • Bureaucracy over care: How the U.S. health care system lost its way

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why the fear of being forgotten is stronger than the fear of death [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How a rainy walk helped an oncologist rediscover joy and bravery

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
    • How inspiration and family stories shape our most meaningful moments

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • A day in the life of a WHO public health professional in Meghalaya, India

      Dr. Poulami Mazumder | Physician
    • Why women doctors are still mistaken for nurses

      Emma Fenske, DO | Physician
    • How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

I am an orphan: A medical school without a family medicine department
7 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...