Elective Opportunities in Primary Care

The following is a list of elective/selective opportunities in primary care that you can choose from for your individualized curriculum along with the associated rotation directors to contact for more information and scheduling. 

Elective Ideas:

• AAP Advocacy Internship 

• Acutes (extra time/exposure in addition to PGY-1 and PGY-3 rotations) - Leah Kaye

• AHEC Scholar - underserved medicine with a certificate of completion option - 4 total weeks (can be divided into 2 weeks each) over the course of 2nd and/or 3rd year. Must apply by second year of residency. - Aaron Shedlock/Emma Narber

• Addiction Medicine Clinic - Corey McBrayer/Sheryl Ryan

• Adolescent Gynecology - Jennifer Shook

• Breastfeeding - Nicole Hackman (2 or 4 weeks - 4 week option can result in becoming a "Certified Breastfeeding Specialist")

  • AAP BF Curriculum

• Camps

  •  Kydnie - Sabeen Habib

  • Heme/Onc Camp - Gayle Smink

  • Rheum - Tim Hahn

• Central Pennsylvania Clinic (Special Medical Home for Children With Genetic Diseases) - D. Holmes Morton (dholmesmorton@gmail.com) 

• Child Abuse/Child Protection Team - Lori Frasier

• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Fauzia Mahr

• Clinical Informatics - Shadi Hijjawi, Kit Heron, Frank Quigley

• Complex Care - Alex Huy

• Dermatology - Andrea Zaenglein, Brian Green

• Emergency Medicine (extra time/exposure from the PGY-1 and PGY-2 rotations)

  • Penn State Hershey - Lilia Reyes

• Ghana/Global Health - Sheila Clarke/Emma Narber

• Hospital Follow-Up Clinic - Mike Beck/ Abby Nelson

• Integrative Medicine - Terrah Keck-Kester

• Maternal Fetal Medicine - Lisa Fraelich

• Mental Health - Banku Jairath and Claire Roden (RCRoden@alderhealth.org)

• Milton Hershey School (extra time/exposure from the PGY-3 rotation) - Katie McHale (mchalek@mhs-pa.org)

• Nutrition - Nancy Frankenfield, Jan Heintzelman, Angela Comis

• Primary Care (Nyes Road/Etown) - Tori DeMartini (Nyes Road) and Denise Teleford-Wren (E-Town)

• Primary Care Niches - Chiefs/Aaron

• Private Practice: PSU Community Medical Group (not counted as away*) vs. Non PSU Medical Group (counted as away) - Chiefs/Aaron

  • Potential Away* Private Practice Sites: Wellspan (Lebanon), Gettysburg Pediatrics, Tan & Garcia, JDC

• Rehabilitation Medicine (PMR) - Teresa Such-Neibar

• Sexual/Reproductive Health Clinic (Alder) - Claire Roden (RCRoden@alderhealth.org)

• Sports Medicine - Matt Silvis

• Subspecialty Electives (e.g. Pulm, Heme-Onc, GI, Cards, Rheum, Allergy, etc.)

• Surgery (Outpatient) Electives (e.g. ENT, Gen Surgery, Ortho, Urology,  Ophtho)

  • CT Surgery

  • ENT - James McGinn

  • Gen Surgery- Afif Kulylat

  • Neurosurgery

  • Ortho - Joe Petfield

  • Optho - Ajay Soni

  • Urology - Paul Smith, Ross Decter

• Urgent Care (Holy Spirit or Penn State Lancaster) - Chiefs/Justen

• Weight Management (Pediatric) - Ronald Williams

• Self-Managed Individualized Learning Elective (SMILE) to create your own elective experience - see rotation document on New Innovations

  • Possible Topic Ideas: Telemedicine, Procedures in Primary Care, Advocacy, Community Outreach, Health Systems Science/QI/Patient Safety IHI Certificate, Multi-Disciplinary Clinics (e.g. NF, CF, Gender Health), Global Health Virtual Curriculum

  • Previous Successful SMILE Rotations: PA DOH in Harrisburg (Connor Appelman), Becoming a Certified Car Seat Inspector (Joni Seeberger), Learning Medical Spanish (Neera Demharter, Julia Wren)

Away Rotation Ideas:

• Private Clinics, Underserved Sites like Indian Health Reservations, Global Health, Immigration/Refugee Clinics

*Away rotations must be set up with paper work complete > 60 days prior to the rotation (https://med.psu.edu/residencies-fellowships/policies) - contact Dana Caldwell well in advance . 

Selective: 

• Newborn Nursery - Ruth Gardner

• ED Admit Resident