Primary Care Program (PCP)

The KSOM Primary Care Program (PCP) is designed to enhance clinical opportunities and support for students who have an interest in primary care, specifically in family medicine, general pediatrics, general internal medicine, geriatrics, and women’s health.

The program focuses on outpatient, community-based training in an urban and underserved setting. Participating students will be part of a community of like-minded colleagues and will receive mentoring from dedicated primary care faculty and community preceptors. Students will be part of a group dedicated to providing excellent, equitable, and compassionate care for all as they prepare to become leaders in primary care.

Students apply to the PCP in the spring/summer prior to starting their first year at the Keck School of Medicine.

PCP PRE-CLERKSHIP TRAININGS

Clinical Experiences
- Students are paired with a primary care physician mentor for monthly, primary care, community-based clinic experience integrated with the Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM) course.
Additional Training/Workshops
- Students participate in additional didactic sessions and activities including hands-on procedural skill training (i.e. ultrasounds, suturing, needle injections, etc.) and multiple primary care focused physical exam (i.e. newborn exams, health fair assessment exams) and clinical health assessment trainings (i.e. mental health, sexual health, motivational interviewing, nutrition & exercise assessment, etc.).
Community Service
- Students learn health education skills by teaching community patients English-Spanish bilingual, bicultural nutrition, exercise, and cooking classes at the Los Angeles Wellness Center
- Students develop skills in older adult and team-based interprofessional health care by participating in interprofessional older adult education and service-learning in low-income Los Angeles housing sites and patient home visits.
- Students build community engagement skills and a deeper understanding of the social determinants of health and their connection to patient care through participating in service projects once per semester in organizations around Los Angeles.

PCP POST-CLERKSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Primary Care Senior Seminar
- Students will participate in a 4-week advanced primary care training elective to include: community clinical experiences, skill based didactics, MSK, POCUS, lactation, and family planning workshops, leadership and advocacy training, quality improvement projects, health education, and community resource training .
  - Students who did not participate in the PCP from the time of matriculation may have an opportunity to take the Primary Care Senior Seminar based on availability.

PCP ONGOING OPTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Opportunities available for students to participate in tattoo removal, pain management caring for the unhoused and patients with substance use disorders, homeless, HIV care, lactation, and pre/postnatal counseling and leadership training.For more information, please visit our website at primarycare.usc.edu. For questions, please contact Dr. Jo Marie Reilly ([email protected]), Dr. Isabel Edge ([email protected]), Ilana Simon ([email protected]), or Bryan Ayala-Rivera ([email protected]).