NIGHT CALL:
During the first year, call averages every fifth night for medical and surgical rotations; obstetrics call is twice weekly. A major respite for all concerned is the first-year night float resident who takes calls on all weekdays. Residents recently added a Senior Night Float. This provides second year residents with two call free rotations and third year residents with at least four call free rotations. St. Margaret’s residents like to learn, but free time for family and friends is important too.
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:
Residents at UPMC St. Margaret have dedicated teaching time five days a week over the lunch hour, and every Thursday morning we also have our “Core Content Series.”
Mondays feature the Medical Decision Making (MDM) series. MDM is a time to learn and practice evidence-based-medicine skills. Far more than just a journal club, in MDM residents learn how to critically appraise and access the medical literature – and how to apply what they find to each unique patient situation.
Tuesdays bring the behavioral health series, including Balint, humanities, behavioral health didactics, and resident support group.
Progress rounds happen Mondays (after MDM), Tuesdays (after behavioral health), Wednesdays, and Fridays. Facilitated by a faculty member but led by the residents, progress rounds offer the opportunity for residents and faculty to share interesting patient cases, both inpatient and outpatient.
Thursday mornings are devoted to the Core Content Series (CCS). Over the course of the year, residents experience topics covering the breadth of family medicine, including physical diagnosis, patient communication, practice management, models of health care, board review, and management of common conditions. CCS sessions are interactive and innovative, with opportunities for hands-on learning and immediate practice of new skills. Web-based learning is also incorporated into the curriculum. All third-year residents contribute at least one presentation to CCS, and prominent guest speakers provide an opportunity for our residents to meet local and national leaders in medicine. Residents’ requests and feedback continue to be a vital force in shaping the content and format of CCS.
 | "I chose UPMC St. Margaret because I was impressed with its strong academic tradition and the emphasis on clinical training. The faculty are great teachers and always willing to help."
Matthew Fisher, M.D.
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LONGITUDINAL EXPERIENCES: A Commitment to the Community
In addition to the first-year block rotation in Community Medicine, senior residents devote a half-day per month to a community medicine project. Home visits are required of all residents. Longitudinal training in interviewing skills, school health, and geriatrics including care of nursing home patients is also available. BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES:
Throughout our three-year curriculum, daily behavioral science floor rounds, daily health center precepting, and a core lecture series cover major topics in adult and geriatric psychiatry, developmental and behavioral pediatrics, adolescent medicine, family systems, and palliative care. A weekly Balint seminar focuses on the doctor-patient relationship and resident well-being. An elective rotation is available to round out this comprehensive and integrated approach to psychosocial education.
 OBSTETRICS:
Family Health Center deliveries are supervised by a team of family physicians. Additionally, first year residents have the opportunity to choose a special obstetrics track providing more intensive training for those planning on incorporating obstetrics into their future practices. Additional experiences are available in: general obstetric care, high risk obstetrics, the delivery room and neonatology. PALS, NALS, and ALSO courses are available for all residents.
"AWAY" ROTATIONS:
The bulk of our residency training takes place within UPMC St. Margaret. However, several key rotations do take place off-campus. These select rotations reflect our commitment to excellence in education. A good example is our four rotations at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, one of the premier pediatric hospitals in the world. Because of their performance on these "away" rotations, UPMC St. Margaret Family Medicine residents are well-respected by the Pittsburgh health care community. Residents assigned to these outside rotations maintain close contact with UPMC St. Margaret through regularly scheduled Family Health Center office hours.
Residents also have chosen to travel afar for some of their elective experiences. For example, Alaska for additional rural medicine training, the Southwest for an Indian Health Service experience, or even exploring health delivery systems in Africa.
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