California

San Francisco Free Clinic (SFFC)
San Francisco, California

Duration: 4 weeks (priority is given to students requesting to do their Primary Care Clerkship at this site - students interested in the SFFC elective or clerkship opportunity, please contact John.Genest@yale.edu)

SFFC, was founded in 1993 by two family physicians. Recognizing that in a city of great medical resources, many people still went without care due to lack of insurance, the founders opened the free clinic to care specifically for this population. Drs. Richard and Tricia Gibbs closed their successful private practice and moved all their equipment into a modest townhouse in the Richmond District of San Francisco. Their next step was to seek support from the medical community. The response was overwhelming. Hundreds of physicians and several hospitals and other medical facilities offered to provide their services free of charge to clinic patients.

This Advanced Primary Care Elective is offered to senior students, who are expected to assume full responsibility for their patients, under the supervision of expert Attendings. Typically, students will perform a history and physical exam, formulate a complete assessment, and present the case to the Attending. After discussing the case, the student will perform the wrap-up, e.g., answer questions, agree on a management plan, follow-up, diagnostic tests, and medications. Students will find this an excellent opportunity to refresh and hone clinical ambulatory skills before Internship. Clinical rotations at SFFC are 4 weeks long.