Medical Student Placements
The Institute provides high-quality, patient-centered health care for diverse populations on a family practice model, and rotations at all sites provide valuable experience in family medicine, working with accomplished practitioners, innovative practices, and advanced technology. The family practice model of care is based on a holistic approach to health that integrates psychological, social, economic, and environmental determinants of health with biomedical factors. We view comprehensive women’s health care, including a full scope of reproductive care, as an integral part of family medicine. Many of our doctors have additional specializations in fields such as HIV and geriatrics. The Institute welcomes medical students interested in gaining first-hand experience providing primary care in medically underserved communities.
The Comprehensive Family Medicine Elective
This elective is designed for the medical student to gain more experience in family medicine, in both the outpatient and inpatient setting. The student will spend two weeks on our family medicine inpatient unit at Mount Sinai Hospital, where the Institute for Family Health manages a 20-bed family medicine service. The other two weeks are spent at the Institute for Family Health’s clinical FQHC sites, mainly split between the Family Health Center of Harlem and the Institute for Family Health at 17th Street. We serve a diverse population, offering reproductive care services, integrative medicine services, HIV care, and prenatal care. Medical students are asked to participate on the inpatient team in presenting patients, managing common pathology, and interacting with specialists, families, and colleagues. On the outpatient side, there is opportunity to see patients independently, as well as observe outpatient procedures including biopsies, IUD placements and joint injections. Students are expected to present patients to their preceptors, both in the outpatient and inpatient contexts. Students will be precepted by the faculty of the Mount Sinai Downtown Residency in Urban Family Medicine and the Institute for Family Health’s Harlem Residency in Family Medicine. The elective is designed for medical students to demonstrate some level of competency in family medicine principles, as well as gain an understanding of the culture and resources of the two family medicine residency programs they will work with.
Students interested in this elective should email the Mount Sinai Department of Family Medicine and Community Health coordinator, Eric Wildstein, eric.wildstein@mssm.edu, to request information.
Mid-Hudson Family Practice Residency Program
Third and fourth year medical students rotate at various clinical sites including the Kingston Hospital, the Ellenville Hospital, and the Institute’s Family Health Centers in Kingston, New Paltz, Ellenville, Hyde Park, and Port Ewen. Third year rotations in Family Medicine and fourth year electives in Family Medicine and Inpatient Medicine are available. Please email the Mid-Hudson Family Medicine Residency Coordinator ymendez@institute.org to request information.
Primary Care Scholars Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
In partnership with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai we developed the Primary Care Scholars Program. The program prepares the next generation of primary care physicians, to meet the rising health needs of local and global communities. We do this by providing core training, mentorship, and longitudinal experiences in primary care. We recruit medical school applicants from diverse personal and professional backgrounds who are committed to becoming leaders in primary care while working with underserved populations. Learn more on the ISMMS website.