Inter-disciplinary Residency Information
What is an inter-disciplinary approach to health care?
There is an overwhelming need for primary care providers who are equipped to care for a diverse population. Physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, as well as dentists and pharmacists, are all sought after to work in under-served primary care settings. Community Health Care has responded to this demand by developing one of the nation’s first inter-disciplinary residency program with a focus on providing quality healthcare accessible to everyone. Community Health Care provides medical, dental, pharmacy, and behavioral health services to our patient population. This is a unique approach to primary care residencies with multi-disciplinary providers teaching, learning, and working alongside each other. We are prepared to educate exceptional and compassionate physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dentists, and pharmacists.
-
History of Community Health Care
Local physicians, government, and private organizations came together in 1987 to create Community Health Care (CHC) as a private, non-profit organization focused on meeting the needs of the underserved. Since that time continued support has allowed CHC to grow to a network of five medical and four dental clinics.
In 2013, with a partnership of physicians, hospitals, and government, CHC was able to expand its mission of clinical education with the opening of a new, state-of-the-art building. CHC’s Hilltop Regional Health Center serves as home base to the residency program and has dedicated an entire floor to resident offices, exam rooms, and meeting space.
-
Mission
The Mission of Community Health Care’s Residency
Community Health Care’s mission is: “To provide the highest quality healthcare with compassionate and accessible service for all.”
We have a commitment to provide quality, exceptional, and compassionate care to the diverse population of Pierce County, being sensitive to patient and family needs and not influenced by lifestyle, race, color, or creed of patients.
Community Health Care’s inter-disciplinary residency provides high-quality, full-spectrum education to physicians, nurse practitioners, and dentists. Community Health Care prepares residents for successful entry into clinical practice appropriate for their level of training, with a focus on provider retention within Tacoma and Pierce County.
-
Core Competancies
All of the residencies at Community Health Care are unified by eight core values:
- Community-Based: Working in the community, caring for the community, and using community resources.
- Patient-Centered: Facilitating partnerships between individual patients and their personal providers in a single medical home.
- Prevention Focused: Preventing illness is the hallmark of nursing, medicine, and dentistry.
- Collaborative Care: Many professions working together with the patient.
- Chronic Care Management: Helping patients understand their chronic diseases and how to live successfully with them.
- Acute Care Treatment: Provide treatment when it’s needed and avoid the emergency room and hospital admissions unless necessary.
- Independent Practiced: Working successfully to the full extent of advanced practice licensing.
- Practice-Based Learning: Always learning. Always improving. Always teaching.
-
Residency Associations
Great learning happens in many places and with premier partners. Our residency programs have associations and partnerships with top healthcare providers in our community. Learn about our partners here:
Franciscan Health System and St. Joseph Hospital
Multicare Health System and Tacoma General Hospital and Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital
University of Washington and WWAMI Family Physician Residency Network
Residencies
Family Medicine Residency
Through our Family Medicine Residency we have developed a three-year program, affiliated with the University of Washington Family Medicine Residency Network, that is accredited for osteopathic (DO) and allopathic (MD) residents. The program accepts six residents each year, for a total of 18 residents located at our Hilltop Regional Health Center.
Family Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) Residency
We have a Family Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) Residency that trains Nurse Practitioners in an intensive one-year program. The goal of the program is to prepare Nurse Practitioners for a career in public health by providing them the opportunity to develop their knowledge and hone their skills in federally qualified health center (FQHC) setting.
Dental Residency
Our Dentistry Residency is in affiliation with New York University Medical Center (NYUMC). This one year program prepares new dentists by providing them extensive training providing care to underserved communities. In the course of the training year, these residents conduct approximately 1,500 patient procedures.
Pharmacy Residency
Residents who complete our Pharmacy Residency will function as independent health care providers in delivering optimal drug therapeutic care and medication education to the vulnerable special populations, including: individuals and families experiencing homelessness, residents of public housing, migrant workers, medication management for behavioral health, patients living with HIV, and those in need of Hep C treatment.