3.0

Average Course Rating

Primary Care is at a crossroads, and all its providers (physicians and nurse practitioners), patients (like all of us), and society are waiting with bated breath to see what happens. On the one hand, never has there been so much need for that one-on-one trust (“Will this vaccine give me autism?” "Should I take a weight loss medication?"). On the other hand, there is a primary care shortage, and providers are burned out. On the one hand, there is a generation of wonderful young people (like you!) super interested in the “social determinants of health,” like housing, food, utilities since we know that poverty matters at least as much as genetics when it comes to how much most health conditions affect patients. On the other hand, we have a society that pays most subspecialists more than primary care providers and more people than needed going into some subspecialties of medicine and nursing. And many wise people wonder whether clinics should be the places where families get essential needs. In this class, you will learn from someone who is a primary care provider in E. Baltimore, who teaches at both the Schools of Medicine and Nursing, and who does research on social determinants of health. You will also learn from each other since, chances are, you have all had primary care at some point and you will be reading, talking, and learning more. You will visit a primary care clinic, hear from guest lecturers with different perspectives, meet some patients, and have time for deep discussion with each other. You will also read about primary care's economics, health services, narrative accounts, innovations, and clinical trials.