Longitudinal Experiences

Community and Practice-Based Projects
Community and practice-based projects are part of a longitudinal curriculum to develop skills in evaluation and pursuit of scholarly work. Residents are partnered with faculty mentors to work on community-based projects that they choose in a variety of outreach settings within local service agencies, schools, and with community groups. With the support of a variety of departmental resources, residents are guided through the research process. Practice-based quality improvement projects focus on implementing changes in the way we practice, optimizing care. They provide residents with valuable experience in critical appraisal, problem solving, and leadership skills.

For examples of recent resident projects, see our Resident Research  page.

Conferences
Tuesday afternoons are protected time for residents to participate in workshops.  In addition, conferences are an integral part of the daily routine on rotations and in the health centers. Chart rounds, which are daily conferences at the health centers, are case-based learner-centered conferences focusing on the science and the art of medicine. Additionally, didactics are broadcast virtually via Zoom to optimize ease of participation from various site attend and recorded for asynchronous learning.          


Residency Committee Involvement
Resident involvement in the educational mission and policies of the residency is crucial to maintain an innovative and learner-centered program. Residents are encouraged to maintain an active role in the residency committees:
Curriculum Committee: Develops and evaluates all aspects of the residency curriculum on an annual and ongoing basis

• Executive Committee: Reviews all policies governing the residency on an annual basis
• Program Evaluation Committee: Monitors ACGME accreditation requirements and identifies annual action items
• Resident Selection Committee: Recruits residents to our program through hosting pre-interview day dinners, participating in recruitment fairs and events, interviewing and reviewing applicants and participating in Rank Day at each health center. 
• SOAR (Structural Oppression and Anti-Racism Committee): Oversees our residency’s efforts to create an inclusive environment for members of our residency community (residents, students, staff, and faculty). See our SOAR page for more information. 
• Diversity in Recruitment Committee: Oversees the implementation of equitable recruitment processes, provides Holistic Review training to all faculty and residents, and reviews each applicant’s Holistic Review through a consensus process prior to Rank Day
• Residents are also integral members of a variety of task forces and working groups that form when needed.  
  
  

  Central Residency Workshops
  Tuesday afternoons include protected time for special educational activities for our residents. Every week at noon, Family Medicine and Community Health Grand Rounds are given by faculty, staff, residents and guest speakers, following a rotating curriculum of core Family Medicine topics. Following Grand Rounds, residents participate in a variety of workshops including core topic reviews, procedural skills, SOAR topics (add link), evidence-based medicine and board review, wellness, osteopathic principles and practice, health center-based Business of Medicine meetings and quality improvement workshops. These workshops are interdisciplinary; we collaborate with the UMass Chan Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing to include four local Family Medicine Nurse Practitioner residency programs and the UMass Primary Care Psychology fellowship to provide teaching as well as side-by-side learning in our workshops. Everyone benefits from this rich interdisciplinary learning environment. If you are interested in joining a Tuesday afternoon workshop, please contact Michael Smith (Michael.Smith@umassmemorial.org). 
  
  Fellowship Opportunities
  The Department of Family Medicine and Community Health sponsors Family Medicine fellowships in Sports Medicine, Palliative Care, and Preventive Medicine. UMass additionally sponsors fellowships in Geriatric Medicine for family medicine and internal medicine graduates, as well as a Primary Care Psychology and Medical Education Fellowship for psychologists.  UMass is also affiliated with three fellowship programs located at the Family Health Center of Worcester: Community-Based HIV and Viral Hepatitis Fellowship, Global Health Fellowship and Psychiatry in Primary Care Fellowship. 
  
  Our residents receive teaching in both clinical and didactic settings from fellows of all of these programs. Graduates of our residency are successful in securing fellowship positions here at UMass and across the country, including OB fellowships and Reproductive Health Care and Advocacy fellowships.