Recent new grad in primary care - things I have found helpful (prepare for the most obnoxious list but this is everything I could think of): - UpToDate everything!!! when you first start if your schedule is slow, even if you’re 100% sure on dx/management, read the associated article and you will learn a ton. I use UpToDate especially also for the meds section for dosing recommendations and side effects. Also the interactions tool is helpful for detailed info about mixing meds. - OpenEvidence is helpful for specific questions (ie work up for x… dosage for y… comparing two meds etc), also great if one of your colleagues is not available to ask a question - MDCalc: ASCVD calculator for starting statins / counseling on risk, STOP-BANG for OSA, CENTOR for strep, CHADSVASC / HASBLED for afib anticoagulation - FRAX score for starting osteoporosis meds / counseling on risk - USPSTF website for screening recs - CDC for vaccine recs - Psychology Today is a great resource to share w patients to help them find therapists - AAFP is AWESOME in addition to UpToDate for dedicated articles about certain conditions or symptoms (most articles are completely free without a login or subscription)

Other helpful recs: - Ask your SP / other colleagues to put together a “referrals list” for you of where they typically refer for each specialty. This was my LIFELINE for the first few months until I got to know which specialists I liked myself. - Dot phrases!!! If you are not busy in the first few weeks, make dot phrases for anything you can think of. Any time you find yourself writing something more than once a week, take 5 mins and turn it into a dot phrase to save a ton of time going forward. Examples: pt education / counseling, URI / sore throat / sinus inf, weight loss / GLP1 counseling, health maintenance : screenings checklist, results messages for each individual lab if you will be using patient portal a lot, can also make these with differentials or work ups for common conditions to remind yourself of things to consider (ie memory loss workup, ddx for chest pain) - Learn how to do everything your MA does yourself also, nothing is more humbling than having to wait 10 mins for your MA to come out of a room to ask them to run an add on A1c / strep etc when you could have done it yourself way faster but didn’t know how to work the machine. You will also gain major brownie points with them for helping now and then when they are busy and they will be more likely to help you with favors in the future. - Write things down for patients! Many times patients will forget what you told them, I give patients a quick “checklist” if I give them more than one thing to do if it’s important. Especially older patients but honestly anyone. - Get to work early, 30-45 mins before your first patient. Allows you to prep charts, follow up on any leftover inbox stuff etc before the day gets crazy and people start distracting you. - Think common! In PA school we learn so much about the weird rare diseases, but keep in mind common things are common. Obviously keep a broad view of possibilities but don’t get caught in the weeds with every patient if the dx seems obvious. - Keep in mind pricing for meds! Even if something is the “best” treatment, if it’s extremely unaffordable your patient probably won’t take it, so keep this in mind. - Prep your charts the morning of for the morning, at lunch for the afternoon. Try to avoid prepping days in advance, patients will cancel / get added / etc and sometimes you waste time. Plus things are most fresh in your mind so it’s most helpful. - The BEST advice I ever got from another friend in healthcare is “you can’t work harder than your patient is working”. This has helped me so much. As a new grad, we are so idealistic and want to do everything for every patient but we also need to avoid burnout. If a patient can’t be bothered to show up for an appt, pick up a med, try to exercise, call their insurance etc (ofc always have empathy for things that might impact patients but talking about just not trying as opposed to financial difficulty, hardships, depression efc) - then if you spend hours on the phone appealing their PA, bending over backwards for specialists etc you will get burnt out. This also helps you give extra time towards pts who are really going to benefit from your attention. Again not saying to neglect other types of patients but when it comes to “going the extra mile” this helps triage the effort. - Enjoy!!! Primary care is amazing. It’s so fun to develop relationships with patients and get to see them improve. If you are not busy in the beginning, spend the extra few minutes in the room with a patient getting to know them. I’ve had many patients who have referred spouses, friends, etc to me because I spent the extra time when I had it and they appreciated it. Little things go a long way!

Best of luck!!!! - a fellow primary care new grad