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The Primary Care Residency started in June 2011 and has been a huge success. Children, especially those with complex health care issues, need pediatricians who have the medical knowledge to care for their illnesses, the skills to coordinate care with subspecialists and other team members, and the savvy to connect them with resources in their communities. Primary care pediatricians, especially those taking care of underserved patients, have different residency training needs than physicians preparing to practice subspecialty medicine. Primary care providers must develop a true medical home for their patients, be able to evaluate and manage mental health and behavioral issues, and provide chronic care in a high quality, evidence-based manner. Additionally, where tertiary care pediatric programs have traditionally emphasized provision of care in resource-rich settings, underserved primary care practice requires a unique set of procedural, critical care, and stabilization skills. Our program here at UNC has long focused on providing a balanced education between community pediatrics and subspecialty training. The Primary Care Residency allows us to further focus on the unique needs of primary care pediatricians. By the end of their training, graduates of this program will be exemplary general pediatricians that are very capable of practicing in any venue in which children’s health needs are underserved.

Overview

Primary Care residents spend about 6 months each year at Cone Health System (Moses Cone Hospital, Women’s Hospital and Tim and Carolynn Rice Center for Child and Adolescent Health) in Greensboro, NC and about 6 months each year at the North Carolina Children’s Hospital in Chapel Hill. Moses Cone and the Rice Center have been integral parts of the UNC residency program for decades. They were selected as the core sites for our primary care trainees because of several unique educational factors, including a well established community teaching program, award-winning community resources, a diverse patient population, and extensive public-private partnerships that benefit the health and welfare of children. Our current residents already spend several months during their residency at each of these superb community sites and excellent faculty are in place to supervise these experiences. The residency programs are fully integrated, and all residents in the UNC Pediatric Residency Program get broad exposure to community settings as well as subspecialty and tertiary care. Every resident who trains with us will be comfortable and confident practicing in a broad range of venues.