Community Medicine

Rotation in Community Medicine

PGY-1 residents will complete a 2-week rotation in the summer/fall caring for migrant farm workers in rural communities west of Rochester. Oak Orchard serves many of the farm workers in Orleans & Genesee Counties. Their Patient Engagement Team generally travels to farms to engage with workers directly, though office sites are also open in the evenings to accommodate workers’ schedules.

PGY-1 residents will also complete a 4-week block in community medicine as their first rotation upon starting in the rural community after completing their Rochester-based training. The rotation is designed to explore social and economic determinants of health and to develop skills for community-level interventions. The month provides opportunities to work with the county health department and with numerous local agencies which provide firsthand experience in ongoing community efforts and resources to support our patients outside of the clinic setting. Community-level care is well coordinated by a rural health network named Ardent Solutions. This block provides an important time to look at the social context in which medical care is delivered and health/illness is determined. The two rural residents will have protected time to partner on a small group project designed to address an important issue for the rural community’s health.

Residents may also take time during this month to identify an individual project in an area of interest that they wish to pursue longitudinally during their second and third years of residency. Protected time off from clinic or rotations is provided to residents who select a Focused Area of Interest (FAI) project.