Exploring Family Medicine Through Medical School

Starting medical school can be both exciting and daunting — there is so much to learn in so little time! If you need help, please ask for it. No one gets through medical school alone and we have many resources available for students.

FOUNDATIONS PHASE

  • Begin your exploration of family medicine (FM) as a possible career. Learn about the breadth and scope of family physicians, attend Family Medicine Interest Group workshops, and other events related to the specialty.
  • Identify mentors and network through campus and regional activities. The FM Advising Team can also help you connect with mentors!
  • Familiarize yourself with opportunities in FM for research, leadership, and scholarships.
  • Sign up for the Family Medicine listserv to keep up on what’s happening and to learn about other opportunities!
  • Figure out how you learn best – this may take some trial and error. Take advantage of your learning style to master material efficiently. If study groups work, then use them. If listening to lectures again helps, then do that. If something is not working, stop doing it. This may seem obvious, but many students get trapped in study groups or study patterns that aren’t helping them learn the material.
  • Establish healthy habits and a positive school-life balance, including maintaining your hobbies, activities, and relationships from before starting medical school.

Preparing for Step 1

See the UWSOM page on studying for the USMLE Step 1. In family medicine, it is very important to pass both Step 1 and Step 2 CK on your first attempt. There are also other ways to strengthen your application that are valuable. That said, failing a Step can be a red flag on your application. In this case, please make an appointment with a FM advisor as soon as you know you want to apply in FM.


PATIENT CARE PHASE

Just when you get into the groove of classes, it’s time to transition to clinical rotations. You get to see patients and there’s more to learn. Here are some tips on how to be successful on your Family Medicine clerkship. These principles will apply in most of your clinical settings.

Preparing for Step 2

See the UWSOM page on studying for the USMLE Step 2 CK. In family medicine, it is very important to pass both Step1 and Step 2 CK on your first attempt. There are also other ways to strengthen your application that are valuable. That said, failing a Step can be a red flag on your application. In this case, please make an appointment with a FM advisor as soon as you know you want to apply in FM.


EXPLORE AND FOCUS PHASE

Although 4th year seems dominated by the all-important residency application process, it is important to take the initiative in directing your own education. There are different philosophies about how to choose 4th year electives; you can focus on electives that will further prepare you for what you need to know as a resident (medical subspecialties to prepare you for inpatient duties, electives in psychiatry, pediatrics, dermatology, palliative care, for example) or you may choose to explore areas that will not usually be a direct part of family medicine residency training but will be specialties where you might refer your future patients (hematology/oncology, specialized HIV care, for example).

Choosing your Advanced Patient Care (APC) Clerkships and Sub-Internships

You are required to take two APCs to graduate. One of them needs to be a Sub-I.

  • A Sub-I in FM will allow you to participate on a family medicine team with an advanced degree of independence and responsibility compared to your FM clerkship.
  • Many program directors in the WWAMI region view a FM sub-I as necessary to be a competitive applicant into their residency, but it is possible to do a Sub-I in another specialty and still match into FM.
  • There are APCs that are not Sub-Is that will give you an opportunity to care for special populations or to be at many of the wonderful WRITE sites and some RUOP sites that provide diverse FM experiences.

Resources

Updated July 2025