Family Medicine Residency Columbia - Director's Welcome

Having grown up in Columbia, it is humbling for me to now care for patients and influence the next generation of family doctors in my hometown.

The people and culture best define the experience at Prisma Health Family Medicine Residency in Columbia. The supportive, engaging and family feel of our program is instantly palpable walking through the halls of the Prisma Health Family Medicine Center. We have a talented and passionate group of residents and faculty who would do anything for each other and our patients. There is no better environment to learn, train or work.

Prisma Health in Columbia is an ideal place to train because it is large enough to offer diverse experiences while still maintaining a focus on patient continuity and relationships. Working in a busy community hospital with strong academic resources through the University of South Carolina School of Medicine-Columbia, our residents get the perfect balance of exposure to pathology, volume and excellence in teaching while working collaboratively with other residency and fellowship programs in our organization. This includes fellowship programs in our own department such as Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS), global health and sports medicine with access to Division 1 SEC athletics.

The core of our residency experience lies in the comprehensive and high-quality outpatient training at the Prisma Health Family Medicine Center. Our residents have the advantage of being assigned their own continuity patient panels from the first day of residency. Residents are also assigned a nurse, which allows them to not only build relationships with their patients, but with their clinical team members as well. Service to the community is a major point of emphasis. Our clinic offers a diverse and unique opportunity to treat both urban and rural underserved communities and supports graduates going to practice in underserved and professional shortage areas. Our residents and faculty also care for patients at several free clinics in the area, including pediatric care at Epworth Children’s Home and prenatal care visits for the Good Samaritan Clinic.

I am extremely proud of the diverse career opportunities our residents can pursue after residency, ranging from full-scope practice in rural areas, faculty at academic institutions, hospitalist groups and acceptance into fellowship programs including obstetrics, sports medicine, palliative, geriatrics, etc.  One of our biggest strengths is our ability to provide well-rounded training that adapts to the needs of the resident to support their career goals and plans after residency.

Our program has always been on the leading edge of POCUS integration and education in both the outpatient and inpatient settings. We also excel in utilization of ancillary services in our Family Medicine Center including social workers, behavioral health specialists and pharmacists that complement us to fully address social determinants of health and other patient needs. This provides unique opportunities like treatment of Hepatitis C and opioid use disorder in our continuity clinic and exposure to remote patient monitoring and CGMs for enhanced diabetes and hypertension care. 

Family medicine is a constantly changing field and we are committed to continuously improving our practice and residency program. Our residents are engaged in a collaborative effort to improve, evolve and shape the future of our program and specialty.

Thanks again for your interest in our residency program and please reach out if you have any questions or would like to know more about our program.