Continuity Clinic

Clinic

The resident's Continuity Clinic is located on the Medical University campus 3.5 blocks from the Children’s Hospital. As an NCQA-certified Level 3 Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), our Continuity Clinic is the medical home to an inner city, predominantly Medicaid population of about 6,500 patients with about 50 -70 patients seen each day. Our clinic participates in Reach Out & Read and has a full-time dedicated PCMH Care Coordinator, referral specialist, social worker, as well as part-time psychology interns readily available to assist the residents with patient care needs.

Experience

Each intern begins with a patient panel, which will grow to up to 150 patients over three years. Residents are encouraged to add newborns and patients that they encounter in the hospital, emergency room, or outpatient clinics. Patients are scheduled to see their own resident pediatrician for well checks, school and behavior problems, chronic health conditions, hospital follow-ups, and most rechecks for acute illness. Residents learn how to coordinate care for their patients with chronic health problems who are also under the care of specialized consultants. They see the myriad of relatively minor problems that concern parents, learn how to teach parents to recognize significant problems, and encourage parents to practice good health maintenance (including immunizations) with their children.

Education

Health problems are discussed from an outpatient perspective at a mini-conference held at the beginning of each clinic. In addition, real-time education occurs between residents and attendings during every patient encounter. Our attendings are actively involved in clinical research/quality improvement, readily integrating current knowledge into daily teaching, and several are recognized as national leaders in general pediatric topics such as environmental pediatrics and continuity. While in clinic, residents have the opportunity to directly supervise and teach 3rd/4th year medical students who participate in the care of their continuity patients. 

Continuity

Residents and attendings are mainly assigned to a set clinic day to facilitate continuity, helping patients and families better identify when their pediatrician will be in clinic. For those times a particular resident is not available, the clinic is divided into teams of four (by day of the week) to maintain continuity among a smaller “practice group.” In the Continuity Clinic, residents gain experience in longitudinal care, following patients throughout their residency, and are able to get to know the patient and their families.

Dr. Kristina K. Gustafson 
Director, Pediatric Primary Care
gustafs@musc.edu