Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Department of Medicine

Ambulatory Education

Ambulatory training has long been a cornerstone of our Internal Medicine Residency Program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Our program offers residents comprehensive experience in outpatient care, preparing them for successful careers in general internal medicine. 

Clinic Structure and Progression

  • PGY-1 trainees begin with a half-day general medicine continuity clinic at either Legacy Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation or the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center.
  • In their second year, residents add a second half-day of continuity clinic, further expanding their outpatient experience.

By exposing residents to both clinical settings, we provide:

  1. Experience in adapting to various systems of care
  2. Opportunities to manage an extensive variety of patients
  3. Insight into different healthcare delivery models

We take pride in our graduates who have pursued careers in general internal medicine. Their success is a testament to the strength of our ambulatory training program. We encourage prospective residents to inquire about our updated list of graduates in this field.

Other Continuity Clinic Experiences

Northwestern offers multiple continuity clinics that specifically offer care for underserved patient populations. Residents have the option for one of their continuity clinics to be at our community health partners, Erie Family Health Center or Near North Health. This clinic system is a fixture in Chicago and has won awards for their service work and affiliation with our residency. Spanish language skills are desirable in these locations but are not necessary. Additional clinical opportunities with a similar focus on patients who are uninsured or underinsured and facing multiple social determinants of health include the Near North Clinic, a Federally Qualified Health Center, and Northwestern's Transitional Care clinic.

Ambulatory Blocks

All residents are exposed to several ambulatory blocks teaching outpatient medicine in different settings.

  • Intern ambulatory block: This two-week block develops fundamental skills and includes several academic half-days for learning.
  • VA Outpatient Urgent Care Clinic: Residents will have six to eight weeks over three years managing common outpatient conditions in the veteran population.
  • Transitional Care Clinic: This two-week block for second-year residents exposes residents to inpatients discharged from the hospital but who lack access to follow-up, teaching a deeper level of systems of care.

Electives

Numerous electives are available in outpatient medicine, including a Women’s Health block, Dermatology and all of the sub-specialties of medicine.

Conferences & Reading

The Ambulatory Medicine curriculum includes:

  • The Pre-Clinic Conference, a case-based session before each continuity clinic half day
  • Hopkin’s Ambulatory Education Modules, web-based modules residents complete to supplement their ambulatory education
Topics in ambulatory medicine are also included in our morning report and noon conference series.

Research

Research opportunities abound for those interested. Topics include population health, quality improvement, healthcare disparities and informatics.

Learn about our Institute of Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM) as one of the examples of where trainees can find robust research opportunities.