Primary Care Cup: An Innovative Method for Teaching Primary Care

The leap from fourth-year medical student to internal medicine intern can be jarring, but a large contributor to this steep learning curve is the transition into the role of primary care provider. In general, a minority of fourth-year medical students complete a primary care rotation during their fourth year of medical school, resulting in interns feeling less prepared in the ambulatory setting. A disproportionate amount of internal medicine residency training occurs in the inpatient setting, perpetuating an even greater perceived training gap among internal medicine residents in preparedness for ambulatory practice. This session will teach chief residents, program directors, and ambulatory faculty how to prepare new house officers in internal medicine for their transition into the ambulatory environment with a unique, gamified approach. The aim of the "Primary Care Cup" is to get incoming interns back into the ambulatory mindset, while simultaneously providing an opportunity for interns to connect with both co-interns and ambulatory faculty. The gamified approach allows residents to actively navigate common, high-yield outpatient complaints, reinforcing practical approaches to evaluation and management of these conditions. The intervention has been well-received with incoming interns who note the primary care cup improved their clinical decision-making, practice of cost-conscious care, and understanding of the ambulatory health care system. The training has ultimately allowed interns to more confidently act as a primary care provider, improving satisfaction with the continuity clinic experience from the beginning.