Training & Education

Preparing compassionate, capable practitioners to care for our future generations

The Department of Family medicine prioritizes preparing and educating medical students, residents, fellows, physician assistants and community physicians to be premiere primary care practitioners, researchers and leaders of the future. We provide comprehensive training in the broad field of primary care, with numerous opportunities for hands-on clinical work at our training hospitals, as well as in community clinics that serve diverse patient populations. Our faculty is passionate not only about their research, but also about sharing their knowledge with new generations of primary care specialists.

Family medicine is one of the most popular residency and specialty programs at USC, and our physician assistant training program is rated among the best in the country.

Keck Hospital of USC

Los Angeles General Medical Center

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Family Medicine Clerkship

The Family Medicine Clerkship is a six week ambulatory, primary care experience. Students work alongside their preceptors during patient care activities, which may include home visits, hospital rounds, nursing home rounds, deliveries, volunteer clinics and sporting events, alongside their daily outpatient office schedule.

Fellowship Program

The Department of Family Medicine in partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services offers a two-year fellowship program in HIV Medicine. This, 24-month, post-graduate fellowship trains up-to four physicians annually. The program provides in-depth training in the medical management of persons living with HIV/AIDS at all stages of disease to be experts in HIV medicine and to be systems leaders, successful community partners in patient-center and community-specific HIV intervention

Family Medicine Interest Group

Our national award-winning Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) is a student-run group at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. We serve as a resource and advocacy group for students who are interested in exploring a primary care career in family medicine.

Keck School of Medicine Primary Care Program

The Keck School of Medicine Primary Care Program is a Keck School of Medicine of USC program set to train primary care focused medical students in community health settings. The program accepts 18 first-year medical students.

Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center at USC

The Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center at USC targets its training activities to providers (MDs, PAs, NPs, and pharmacists) who serve marginalized and resource-poor populations of high HIV prevalence, including homeless and incarcerated. We consult with Ryan White funded- and federally qualified agencies to enhance prevention and testing efforts and improve the care of HIV infected individuals in Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and Kern Counties. Training opportunities include a fellowship in HIV Medicine, as well as clinical trainings (1 week to 2 months), HIV Risk Assessment including posttest counseling, implementation of HIV testing in clinics, correctional and emergency departments, PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for the Prevention of HIV), practice transformation and inter-professional education.

Primary Care Physician Assistant Program

The top ranked Primary Care Physician Assistant Program at USC is a leader in PA education with a focus on recruiting, educating and graduating a diverse group of students in primary care medicine. The program is now ranked 10th in U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 “Best Graduate Schools” rankings. A national forerunner in interprofessional education, program faculty has trained future leaders in practicing team-based medicine in underserved communities.