Image Primary Care Program Internal Medicine Residency Programs Categorical Primary Care Program Welcome from the Program Director UK’s Primary Care Program was launched in 1978 to better serve the needs of our Commonwealth. Over the years, the program has evolved and now includes a 50/50 time split between outpatient and inpatient training. While the majority of our graduates stay in Kentucky as primary care physicians in underserved communities, our program is committed to giving its graduates the tools and skills to be leaders in whatever specialty or practice setting they choose. The primary care program exists within the larger categorical residency program, allowing for a close-knit family feel amongst the residents and faculty. In order to provide each trainee the complete experience of this program, applicants must apply for the primary care program during the match process with a separate National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) code from the categorical residency program. Devin Oller, MD Assistant Professor of Medicine Primary Care Residency Program Director Department of Internal Medicinedevin.oller@uky.edu Program Structure Image UK's primary care residency program and the categorical internal medicine program are fully integrated and many rotations are common to both. 50% of PC residents’ schedule is dedicated to ambulatory training over the course of their three years in the program. Outpatient Clinical Experience Outpatient Clinical Experience Three years of continuity clinic Two months of rural private practice clinic Three years of individualized subspecialty clinic Internal medicine-based: addiction medicine, allergy and immunology, cardiology, endocrine, gastroenterology, HIV primary care, hematology-oncology, infectious disease, nephrology, pulmonology, and rheumatology Non-medicine-based: dermatology, geriatrics, gynecology, obesity medicine, neurology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, urology, and sports medicine Acute care call-in clinic Resident/uninsured student clinic Longitudinal quality improvement project Ambulatory Educational Curriculum Ambulatory Educational Curriculum All ambulatory curriculum is in addition to the education curriculum provided to all categorical residents. This additional curriculum includes: Monthly case conferences High-yield clinical topics, business of medicine, board review, and difficult conversations (e.g. drug contracts, sexual harassment, firing patients) Annual ambulatory care workshops given by our subspecialty colleagues. Monthly primary care grand rounds Inpatient vs Outpatient Months Inpatient vs Outpatient Months Categorical Track PGY1, PGY2, & PGY3: four months clinic and eight months hospital Primary Care Track PGY1: four months clinic and eight months hospital PGY2: five months clinic, one month off-site clinic, and six months hospital PGY3: seven months clinic, one month off-site clinic, and four months hospital Sample Master Schedule Sample Master Schedule PGY 1* PGY 2** PGY 3** UK Ambulatory Clinic 4 5 1 Off-Site Ambulatory Clinic 0 1 1 UK Wards 2 1 1 VA Wards 1 1 1 Morehead Wards 1 0 0 Good Samaritan Wards 0 1 1 MICU 1 1 1 CCU 0 1 0 ER 0 1 0 Neurology 1 0 0 Cardiology 1 0 0 Night Float 1 0 0 Number of months on each rotation *PGY 1 – 3 vacation weeks **PGY 2/3 – 4 vacation weeks Sample Ambulatory Clinic Block Schedule Sample Ambulatory Clinic Block Schedule Time Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun 7:30-8:00 Morning Report Morning Report Morning Report Off Off 8:15-12:00 Continuity Clinic Specialty Clinic Continuity Clinic Specialty Clinic Task Time Off Off 12:00-1:00 Noon Conference Noon Conference Noon Conference Noon Conference Grand Rounds Off Off 1:00 – 5:00 Specialty Clinic Task Time Primary Care Weekly Conference Continuity Clinic Continuity Clinic Off Off Post-Graduation Careers Image Graduates of the University of Kentucky Internal Medicine Primary Care Program have a wide range of career opportunities. Over the past five years, 16 of our graduates have pursued careers in primary care-based practices. The remaining graduates chose a career as a generalist in hospital medicine or went on to pursue fellowship training. Our residents are supported in their career planning no matter what field they decide and have one-on-one mentorship for CV development, interviewing, and contract negotiations. The track's individualized ambulatory clinical experiences help each resident to succeed in their chosen field of medicine even if they decide to pursue a career outside of primary care. Year Primary Care Hospitalist Subspecialty 2022 6 1 0 2021 4 1 1 2020 2 1 1 2019 3 1 2 2018 2 1 3 2017 3 2 1 2016 6 1 0 5-Year% 55% 21% 24% Primary Care Residents Image Primary Care Chief Residents Nick Alcorn, MD If you asked me what I wanted to do with my life once a year for the past 6 years, you would have gotten 6 different answers. During medical school, I waffled between EM, Radiation Oncology, and Internal Medicine. After going through third year rotations at UK, I quickly realized that the Internal Medicine residents here were my people. The camaraderie, family atmosphere, and focus on patient-centered care here was unmatched by any other specialty I rotated with or outside program I visited. Indecisive as I am, I was unsure if I wanted to do Primary Care during my application to residency, but I couldn't be happier I did. The flexibility in exposure to subspecialties of interest, individualized support from program directors and faculty, extensive experience in outpatient medicine, and practical primary care curriculum make this program a hidden gem. When I'm not in the hospital, I like to go camping, go to one of the breweries in town, or play music. Our schedule has been an optimal balance of clinical experience, support, and time for life outside of the hospital. We work hard and care for very sick patients, but also have support when we need it and some time to do the things we love to do. Having been at UK for a total of 6 years, I can confidently say I would choose this path again. Karl Hempel, MD Throughout my entire life, I have always dreamed of becoming a primary care physician. With multiple members of my family in medicine and seeing their interactions with patients and the community, medicine has always been the highly desired path. With plans of practicing primary care in the greater Lexington area, the University of Kentucky Primary Care Track was an easy choice. Our program not only provides excellent clinical training with some of the sickest patients in the country, but also wonderful mentorship opportunities in the setting of a close-knit, family atmosphere. With a specialized track that focuses on giving us additional outpatient clinical experience in the medical subspecialties as well as greater continuity of care, we become well prepared to handle the most complex and difficult primary care cases. Outside of residency, I have many passions ranging from hiking (especially at Red River Gorge), gardening, small scale construction, UK Athletics, being a proud dog dad all the way to being "Assistant Baker" for my wife's Farmers' Market business (she sets up at local Farmers' Market in addition to her full-time job). Our program places great emphasis on work life balance, which has allowed me to continue these passions even during the most difficult rotations. I can say whole heartedly that there is nowhere else I would rather be than at the University of Kentucky. GO CATS!
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