Q: Where does resident training take place?
A: Residents primarily train at the 426-bed Crozer-Chester Medical Center (Upland, PA), the 236-bed Delaware County Memorial Hospital (Drexel Hill, PA), and our Centers for Family Health in Springfield and Upper Darby, PA. Our office in Springfield is a diagnostic and treatment center with 15 exam rooms and a procedure room. The office in Upper Darby opened in 2005 to serve a primarily international and underserved population and has recently transitioned to a Federally Qualified Health Center with a newly renovated office.
Q: What is the patient population like?
A: Delaware County is surprisingly diverse. Both of our outpatient offices see patients from a variety of cultures, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds. The Center for Family Health at Upper Darby serves a significant number of first-generation immigrants and presents an opportunity for the residents to practice culturally sensitive, patient-oriented medicine. It also serves an underserved, inner-city population, including many Spanish-speaking patients from Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and other Central American countries, as well as a significant African population.
Q: Do the residents work with residents from other specialties?
A: During the intern year, our residents work with Ob/Gyn, Medicine, Pediatrics, and Surgery residents while rotating through those departments and function fully as an intern on the team.
Q: How much call is required?
A: Call during the intern year varies with the rotation. For the most part, however, call will be about every 4th night during the first year with four call-free months. During the second and third years, residents cover approximately 30 calls each year with most of those occurring during the four inpatient months.
Q: What is call like?
A: Interns take in-hospital call concerning patients on their respective service, meaning that they may be covering anything from the trauma service while on surgery to the ICU while on medicine. In the upper years, residents will cover both the inpatient service and calls from office patients. Residents also do admissions for the service and cover OB patients on labor and delivery. Because of our electronic medical record, upper year residents do have the option of taking call from home.
Q: How much vacation will I have?
A: Interns are given three weeks (15 days) of vacation and five days of CME. During both the second and third years, residents are given four weeks (20 days) of vacation and five days for CME.
Q: Do residents have input in decision-making?
A: Yes! This residency has historically been very democratic with an administration and faculty excited to respond to resident input. Dr. Warning, our program director, strongly advocates for resident issues. Residents are able to discuss their concerns with the Chiefs at our weekly resident meetings. We also have the opportunity to discuss hospital-wide concerns at monthly Medical Education meetings with the health system administration. Residents actively participate in new intern selection by interviewing and shaping the final rank list prior to the match. Also, our Chief Residents are selected directly by their peers.
Q: How does OB fit into the curriculum?
A: Although all residents become proficient in OB care and meet the delivery requirements during their three years, not all residents practice OB once they graduate. Residents who are interested in OB tend to pick up more prenatal patients and have elective opportunities for more training. Interns spend two months on OB, working with OB residents and attendings. During the second and third years, residents follow their own prenatal patients in the outpatient setting and then deliver these patients with our own family medicine attendings.
Q: How many residency positions are there per year?
A: We accept seven residents per training year into the program. We are a dual-accredited program.
Q: What is the underlying design of the curriculum?
A: Our competency-based curriculum and flexible elective system allows each resident to develop expertise in the full spectrum of family medicine, including sports medicine, family-centered obstetrics, gynecology, geriatrics, behavioral medicine, women's health, and medical informatics. Throughout our curriculum, we place special emphasis on ambulatory care. Each rotation has defined competencies for residents and attendings to use as teaching guides and evaluation tools.
Q: What is the relationship between the Family Medicine Residency and Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship?
A: The two programs have a close relationship. Initiated in 1996, the Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Program is based at the Healthplex campus of Springfield Hospital, a mile from the Center for Family Health. The Healthplex itself is a state-of-the-art, 176,000-square-foot wellness facility and health club. The Healthplex campus features the Sports Medicine Institute and the Center for Human Performance - our United States Olympic Committee-designated athlete testing facility - as well as a 14,000-square-foot comprehensive physical medicine and rehabilitation facility. The Center for Family Health supports continuity of care for sports medicine patients under the supervision of our three Family Medicine faculty who have certificates of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine. More information about the Sports Medicine Fellowship is available on Crozer-Keystone's Residency & Education homepage; highlight "Fellowship" on the menu.
Q: If I would like more information about the Crozer-Keystone Family Medicine Residency, whom should I contact?
A: Bill J. Warning, M.D., Program Director
Mailing address:
Crozer-Keystone Family Medicine Residency Program
1260 East Woodland Avenue,
Suite 200
Springfield, PA 19064
Phone: 610-690-4480/800-351-6691
Fax: 610-690-4474
E-mail: fmresidency@crozer.org