urban family practice

[boopin]

Hi-
I'm a fourth year interested in applying to FP but would really like to stay in NY, Philly, Baltimore or DC after graduating residency. What can be said about practicing FP in these cities? Is it difficult to find a job due to the increasing trend of specialty-based medicine?

Any info would be great.

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[edfig99]

Family medicine is very different along the northeast corridor than is practiced in the rest of the country. Programs based at academic medical centers are in an even weirder position.

Jobs are a plenty in family medicine, even in the northeast, in spite of the specialty movement.

There is a lot more emphasis on med/geriatrics/peds in the northeast, less of an emphasis on OB because malpractice and scope of practice wars with the ob-gyns. it's tough to get ob privileges at a hospital if it's not an FP only hospital, or you are affilliated with a residency program.

If you're interested in urban FP experiences, I recommend our program (Columbia Presbyterian http://familymedicine.hs.columbia.edu ) which serves a predominantly immigrant, underserved latino community [not very diverse in ethnicity, but definitely in pathology] or the Beth Israel Residency Program in Urban FP http://www.institute2000.org/edu/resnyc.htm, both in NYC - both places have 4th year subI/electives available

Philly has the Upenn program.
Boston has the BU program (very good program)

there are definitely different challenges to practicing in the inner city along with so many other physicians, but FP definitely has it's place.

 

[boopin]

Thanks for the info, Ed. I hear all these rumors that it is "impossible" to get hired as a family practioner in new york. Where do some of the people trained at Columbia end up after residency?

Boopin

 

[edfig99]

hey boopin...

sorry for the delay in the reply. i haven't been on in a while.

our program is 5 yrs old -- so we don't have tons of graduates. their post residency positions have varied..

2 went on to do other residencies (one radiology, one psychiatry)
3 are in Boston
1 in Virginia
1 in Georgia
2 in Harlem (NYC)
1 in Queens (NYC)
1 in the Air Force (he was on a military scholarship in med school and had to complete his service)
1 in Long Island
1 in Philly
1 works for the United Nations
4 work for the residency (counting myself)
1 is going to law school
1 in full-time motherhood

....there are a dozen or so others, but this goes to show that there is variety in where people end up...from inner city-academic, to rural to military. and some find out they really don't know what they want.

there are plenty of FP jobs in NY...as long as you remember FP in NY is different than FP anywhere else.

-ed