The 4+2 Model and The Dual Clinic Model
The 4+2 Model
Our program has an X+Y schedule of 4+2 throughout all three years of residency. Residents have 4 weeks of inpatient, selective, or elective rotations followed by a recurring 2-week ambulatory block. These ambulatory weeks are often referred to as "+2" and include half-days of primary care continuity clinics (more information below), subspecialty clinics, and outpatient didactics. The primary care program schedule (4+2) is different from the categorical internal medicine program schedule (4+1), but primary care residents work side-by-side with categorical residents during their X blocks (i.e., when not on their +2 ambulatory blocks).
During the primary care “+2” weeks, residents will spend about 6 half days in each of their 2 continuity clinics. Residents also have half days in subspecialty clinics, didactics, community sessions, and for panel management. Panel management is a weekly half-day block during +2 to catch up on inbox items and to hone clinic work-flow.
The Dual Clinic Model
The UCLA Primary Care Internal Medicine Program includes two different tracks with separate NRMP codes. You can apply to both of these tracks or to just one of them. The two tracks are part of the same primary care program and in many ways are more similar than they are different. Residents across the two tracks get to know each other well and work together during their PCM (primary care medicine) blocks, during outpatient didactics, on inpatient rotations, and in their UCLA Santa Monica continuity clinic.
The key difference between the tracks is where residents have their two continuity clinic sites. Residents in both tracks split their continuity clinic time equally between UCLA Santa Monica primary care clinic and another clinical site. For the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center/Santa Monica track (OV/SM), this second clinic is located at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, which is part of the Los Angeles County safety-net health system. For our VA Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team/Santa Monica track (VA-HPACT/SM), this second clinic is a federally-funded clinic for Veterans experiencing homelessness.
One of the strengths of both of the tracks is the opportunity to establish longitudinal patient panels in two different medical systems serving two different patient populations. This gives residents the opportunity to think broadly about what a career in primary care can look like, what different health care systems are able to offer patients, and the profound role of social and structural factors in shaping health.
Note that the OV/SM track previously had its UCLA Health clinic in Santa Clarita. In 2024, this track's UCLA Health clinic was moved to UCLA Santa Monica, allowing residents from our two primary care tracks to work together in our UCLA Santa Monica teaching clinic.
VA-HPACT/SM Track
West Los Angeles VA Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team (VA-HPACT) + UCLA Santa Monica (SM) - NRMP # 1956140M0
The West LA VA Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team (VA-HPACT) clinic is a patient-centered medical home dedicated to serving Veterans who are unhoused. Residents at this site work within a single payer healthcare model in a clinic specifically tailored for Veterans experiencing homelessness. Providers and trainees work with and learn from interprofessional teams with nurse practitioners, pharmacists, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and case managers in a housing-first model of care. Our veterans coming to West Los Angeles VA may travel from throughout Los Angeles county or even beyond, as there are affiliated sites downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach, and the San Fernando Valley. Patients at VA-HPACT face a disproportionate burden or mental health diagnoses and substance use disorders, and VA-HPACT/SM residents get longitudinal experience in caring for patients with these conditions.
Residents have a second continuity clinic at UCLA Santa Monica. See the final section of this page for details on our Santa Monica clinic.
OV/SM Track
Olive View-UCLA Medical Center (OV) + UCLA Santa Monica (SM) - NRMP # 1956140M1
The Olive View-UCLA Medical Center (OV) clinic is a patient-centered medical home in a safety-net, public hospital in Sylmar. It serves a predominantly Spanish-speaking and immigrant patient population that extends geographically into Antelope Valley and San Fernando Valley, as well as other areas of Los Angeles. Patients may regularly travel to and from different countries and seek medical care at Olive View. Residents develop an in-depth understanding of the LA County Department of Health Services (DHS), one of the largest public health systems in the country. They work with a wide range of providers and support programs within DHS, the Department of Public Health, and Department of Mental Health.
Like our VA-HPACT/SM track, OV/SM residents have a second continuity clinic at UCLA Santa Monica. See below for details on our Santa Monica clinic.
UCLA Santa Monica Primary Care Clinic
In addition to their respective clinics at VA-HPACT and OV, residents in both primary care tracks have another continuity clinic at UCLA Santa Monica. This clinic cares for a diverse patient population with a mix of insurance payors. Over the course of residency, many residents find they are able to tailor their Santa Monica patient panels to their areas of interest. Many attendings at this clinic bring special niches and areas of expertise to their teaching, such as HIV medicine, LGBTQ+ health, complex care, East-West medicine, and health systems and policy expertise.
Our Director of Mental Health Education for the residency program, neuropsychologist Dr. Stephanie Young, co-precepts at UCLA Santa Monica through an integrated mental health training model. Residents benefit from real-time, patient-focused teaching in mental health and become well-versed in managing a broad range of mental health conditions in the primary care setting.