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The Family Practice Center, located in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, is the base of our clinical practice as family physicians. We currently have 12,600 square feet, including 15 exam rooms, offices, and laboratory and radiology services. Currently, we provide health care to more than 6,000 patients.

Family medicine is an ambulatory-based specialty. Therefore, the Family Practice Center (FPC) is the primary setting for residents in training. Each resident is assigned a panel of patients for whom he/she provides care throughout the three years in the program. The number of patients per resident increase with each year of training. A limited number of obstetrical patients are a part of each resident panel. First-year residents are assigned no more than five obstetrical patients at any given time, and second- and third-year residents are assigned no more than 10 at a time. As the patients deliver their babies, the resident is assigned new obstetrical patients.

First-year residents generally spend one to two half-days per week at the FPC; second-year residents, approximately three half days; and third-year residents, approximately four to five half-days per week. Initially, first-year residents are scheduled to see one to two patients per hour. Over the course of the residency, the number of patients per hour is increased to four by the third year.

Most teaching of office medicine occurs in our preceptor/resource room in which the residents complete their charts, discuss cases with the preceptors and have immediate access to a library and broad selection of patient education materials. All office charts are reviewed by the preceptors and oral and written feedback is given to each resident.