Frequently Asked Questions

Primary Care Track residents participate in two six-month ambulatory Long Blocks, which include additional clinic sessions at their primary continuity site, a second continuity site based on their individual interests, and required and elective subspecialty clinics. During Long Block, residents have a dedicated primary care curriculum, participate in the Social Justice Pathway, participate in an innovation project, and have opportunities for additional training and experiential learning in outpatient procedures, medical education, healthcare leadership, research, quality improvement, HIV medicine, and sexual and gender minority health. Primary Care Track residents receive regular mentorship and career counseling, and they are invited to primary care interest groups and social events. Primary Care Track residents have approximately the same number of general medicine inpatient rotations as their categorical program colleagues. They tend to have somewhat fewer specialty inpatient rotations and intensive care unit rotations.

We've recently published our findings about the effect of this immersive primary care training program on educational and clinical outcomes in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

There is a separate match for the Primary Care Track. We match four Primary Care Track residents annually. Up to two additional Primary Care Track slots are generally offered for interns in the categorical program, but there is no guarantee of placement.

Historically, over three-quarters of the Primary Care Track's graduates have entered primary care careers. Of those who choose to pursue subspecialty fellowships, many practice a mixture of general and subspecialty ambulatory medicine.

Primary Care Track residents pursue positions that include clinical, educational, administrative, and research roles. Many, but not all, choose to join academic practices. Our graduates are currently on the faculty at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston Medical Center, Tufts Medical Center, Dartmouth Hitchcock Healthcare System, Yale University, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York University, University of Chicago, Georgetown University Medical Center, Northwestern University, Stanford University, University of Alabama, University of California at San Francisco and Los Angeles (UCSF and UCLA.) and many others. Other graduates work in community health centers in Boston, New York, San Francisco and in many other places across the country.

While the Primary Care Track is designed to prepare residents for careers in primary care, some graduates have decided to pursue subspecialty training. We consider geriatrics and palliative care as part of primary care training, and provide enriched experiences for residents interested in these pathways. Primary Care Track residents are equally competitive as categorical program residents in fellowship matches.

Historically, Beth Israel Hospital was founded in order to provide care to underserved populations in Boston. Healthcare Associates (HCA), our hospital-based practice, cares for a diverse patient population. Several of our faculty are interested in health justice, and make fantastic mentors to the primary care residents. Residents can also choose to a community health center as their second continuity site. Finally, we offer immersive experience in underserved care both nationally with the Indian Health Service and our unique Outer Cape elective, and globally within our Botswana Global Health Program.

The Women's Health practice within HCA opened in 2004 and is a model teaching practice. As an added service, consultations focused on female sexual dysfunction, long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) management, obesity, and disabled women are available within the practice. We also offer elective experiences in general gynecology, urogynecology, bone and mineral metabolism, and breast diseases.

Some residents choose to have an enriched Latinx panel at Healthcare Associates with a Spanish-speaking preceptor. Others choose to go offsite to one of our Community Health Centers where there are robust Spanish-speaking communities, including the Dimock Health Center in Roxbury, the Bowdoin Street Health Center in Dorchester, and the Charles River Health Center in Allston.

Many of our residents work in international settings, and BIDMC has established an affiliation with a teaching hospital in Botswana (Global Health Program). Other residents have worked in India, Nepal, Taiwan, and Vietnam in recent years. Several faculty have major commitments to international health.

Yes. Many Primary Care Track residents participate in a course on medical education as part of their ambulatory Long Block rotation. Residents have the opportunity to teach other primary care residents in small group settings and receive feedback on their teaching skills from clinician educator faculty. Primary care residents also teach and precept medical students in the HCA student-faculty clinic approximately once per month. All housestaff are given the opportunity to serve as a teaching resident during senior elective time. In this role, residents lead case-based discussions and didactic sessions for other residents and students, work as apprentice preceptors alongside our faculty in practice, and observe interns in practice.

Yes. Many residents participate in research projects during their area of concentration time. Content areas have included health services research, clinical epidemiology, medical education, and clinical research. Areas of research interest within the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care include chronic disease management, delirium, geriatrics, health policy, HIV, and obesity.