Our Curriculum

The Penn Highlands Family Residency Program offers a comprehensive, patient-centered curriculum which prepares graduates for a broad scope of practice.

Scholarly Activity

Penn Highlands residents have many opportunities to be involved in hospital-wide Quality Improvement Projects. Each resident is assigned to an already established project or has the opportunity to create their own.

Family Medicine Residency Adult Hospital Medicine Track

This track will provide increased education and training in the field of inpatient medicine. The track will help residents with career development as the track will require inpatient-focused journal clubs, didactics presentations, and increased inpatient IM subspecialty rotations.
Two residents from each class are chosen based on interest and then a selection process with the Program Director and Associate Program Director.
Residents who have an interest in hospital medicine are encouraged to apply.
There is a certificated awarded at graduation for residents who successfully complete the track.

Wellness

Penn Highlands Family Medicine Residency focuses on physician wellness throughout the academic year. Every month where there is a fifth Friday, instead of the typical didactic lecture, the residents, GME staff and faculty head out to explore the surrounding area or host a fun in-house event. A few recent events consist of a trip to Bilger's Rock, Canoeing down the Clarion River in Cook Forest, an in house tie-dye party, and a step-by-step painting class. Penn Highlands recognizes the importance of physician wellness and promotes it through many events and lectures within didactics.

Didactics

Resident Didactics are held every Friday afternoon from 12:30 PM - 4:30 PM. Didactic lectures topics include, but are not limited to; Practice Management, Wellness, Specialty and Family Medicine. Resident Cases are presented on a weekly to bi-weekly basis.

Rotation Curriculum

Penn Highlands Healthcare Family Medicine Residency Academic Year consists of thirteen 4-week blocks.

PGY 1

Orientation: 4 Weeks
Continuity Clinic: 4 weeks + recurring ½ day of clinic each week
Inpatient Medicine: 8 weeks
Inpatient Medicine (Night Float): 4 weeks
Inpatient Pediatrics (Away Rotation at WellSpan York Hospital): 4 weeks
Outpatient Pediatrics: 4 Weeks
OBGYN: 4 weeks
Emergency Department: 4 weeks
Surgery: 4 weeks
Dermatology: 4 weeks
Orthopedics: 4 weeks
Psychiatry: 4 weeks

PGY 2

Continuity Clinic: 4 weeks + recurring 1+ ½ days of clinic each week
Inpatient Medicine: 8 weeks
Emergency Department: 4 weeks
Sports Medicine: 4 weeks
Intensive Care Unit: 4 weeks
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: 4 weeks
Community Medicine (Dubois VA Clinic): 4 weeks
Labor and Delivery: 4 weeks
Outpatient Pediatrics: 4 Weeks
Geriatrics: 4 weeks
Elective: 8 weeks

PGY 3

Continuity Clinic: Recurring 2 days of clinic each week
Inpatient Medicine: 8 weeks
Emergency Department: 4 weeks
Urology: 4 Weeks
Otolaryngology (ENT): 2 Weeks
Ophthalmology: 2 weeks
Community Medicine (Dubois VA Clinic): 4 weeks
Outpatient OBGYN: 4 Weeks
Pediatrics: 4 Weeks
Elective: 20 weeks