About the Program
Curriculum
Family Medicine Service: Your inpatient training occurs on our family medicine service at Atrium Health Cabarrus. Here we provide true full spectrum care. Residents will see anything from moms with high-risk pregnancies, newborns and anything on up to ICU patients on any given day. The patients we care for are all established patients from our four Cabarrus Family Medicine (CFM) residency offices, providing excellent continuity for our patients. You will learn from a mix of family medicine hospitalists, full scope family medicine attendings, specialists and pharm D’s.
- Patient load and autonomy progress from year one to year two. Residents have caps on how many patients they carry and there is a cap on our overall service as well to ensure a good learning environment.
- As a third-year resident, you will truly run the service! You will be responsible for assigning patients to residents and faculty, triaging new admissions and providing support for the first- and second-year residents. The third-year resident is also the primary resident responsible for teaching and supervising medical students.
- Night work occurs in one-week night float rotations. On night float there are 2 residents and 1 attending on call. Our faculty stay in-house on call providing appropriate balance between resident independence and oversight.
Outpatient Family Medicine Training: The bulk of your outpatient training occurs through your family medicine practice (FMP). Clinic half-days range from one to five per week, depending on post-graduate year and rotation. Residents learn how to manage their own patient panels and participate in team-based office initiatives to improve health outcomes for our patients. As junior partners, residents are actively involved in provider meetings and are encouraged to provide input into practice management decisions.
We have a created a unique model of “internal referral clinics” during which we bring the specialists to our family medicine offices to provide additional concentrated training opportunities. These include: travel medicine, dermatology and gynecology.
Residents also see patients at our local health department and several community clinics.
Flexible Training: Residents have a significant elective time, allowing them to tailor their training. We are proud to have been a national leader in creating areas of concentration (AOC) for residents who have a particular focus they want to embrace during residency. AOCs can be tailored to the resident’s individual goals. Past examples include travel medicine, women’s health, community medicine and palliative care among others. We also provide a obstetrics and sports medicine tracks for interested residents.
Didactic Series: The residents come together each Wednesday afternoon for lunch, fellowship and teaching from 1 - 5 p.m. During this time, they also have resident support group and time to meet with their advisors. Conferences include a series of dynamic teaching sessions led by a balance of family medicine faculty, specialist faculty, residents and outside speakers. We have many small group activities and some fun games and competitions... all in the spirit of learning, of course!
Education Program
To better align with the values of Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME), we transitioned our curriculum to an interleaved schedule. Rotations are experienced mostly one week at a time, rather than in 2 or 4-week blocks. This provides a learning environment that better reflects the future practice and also allows for more frequent touches with each specialty and content area. Instead of four continuous weeks of outpatient pediatrics once, you will experience it for one week four times over the year. Hospital service is approximately one week out of each month instead of in long blocks with long hours, making better balance for wellness and more availability for your patients in your clinic panel. The total number of weeks of each rotation has not changed – only the way you experience them.
Each PG Year has an interleaved curriculum of mostly 1-week blocks (*some longer)
PGY1 |
|
| Curricular Area | WEEKS |
| Family Medicine Service | 12 |
| FMS Swing Shift | 2 |
| Obstetrics and Newborn Care* | 6 |
| NICU* | 2 |
| Pediatrics Inpatient | 2 |
| Pediatrics Outpatient | 2 |
| Cardiology* | 4 |
| Gynecology | 4 |
| Geriatrics | 2 |
| MSK1-Ortho* | 4 |
| Gastroenterology | 2 |
| Family Medicine Practice / Radiology | 6 |
| Night Float | 4 |
PGY2 |
|
| Curricular Area | WEEKS |
| Family Medicine Service | 11 |
| Obstetrics and Newborn Care* | 4 |
| Surgery | 4 |
| Pediatrics Outpatient | 2 |
| Pediatrics Inpatient | 2 |
| Emergency Medicine | 4 |
| Rural Community Health* | 2 |
| MSK2 - Sports Medicine* | 2 |
| Intensive Care* | 2 |
| Dermatology | 2 |
| Behavioral Health | 2 |
| Elective | 6 |
| Family Medicine Practice | 4 |
| Night Float | 4 |
PGY3 |
|
| Curricular Area | WEEKS |
| Family Medicine Service | 6 |
| Family Medicine Practice | 4 |
| Geriatrics | 2 |
| Pediatrics, Developmental (outpatient) | 2 |
| Emergency Medicine | 4 |
| Pediatrics, Inpatient | 4 |
| Pediatrics, Subspecialty (outpatient) | 2 |
| MSK3 - Rheumatology* | 2 |
| Urology | 2 |
| Ophth/Oto | 2 |
| Elective | 18 |
| Night Float | 4 |
Longitudinal Curriculum
Community Medicine & Population Health, Evidence-Based Medicine, Cultural Competency, Behavioral Medicine, Patient Safety & Quality Improvement, Management of Health Systems, Lifestyle Medicine & Health Promotion, Laboratory Medicine, Research & Scholarly Activities are taught through a mix of experiential, didactic and research activities over the 3 years.
Salary
Salary Academic Year (2025 - 2026), resident salaries are as follows:
- PGY-1 $74,048
- PGY-2 $77,376
- PGY-3 $80,558
- PGY-4 $84,364
Benefits:
- Twenty (20) days PTO per year for vacation and sick
- Five (5) days for CME per year (require approval)
- Medical and dental insurance plans for residents and their families (at no charge to resident)
- Life insurance plan equal to 1.5 times salary
- Long-term disability insurance
- Workers' compensation
- Disability insurance
- Medical liability insurance
- Meals provided on call and frequently during conferences
- $2,500 in scholarly funds (conference, resource materials, memberships, etc.)
- Intern moving stipend of $1,000
- Laptop for use while in program
- Free parking at hospital and clinics
Sample Contracts
Mission and Program Aims
Mission Statement
The Cabarrus Family Medicine Residency Program is committed to providing quality, compassionate and cost-effective patient care for our patients and community and recruiting and training quality family physicians with a broad variety of backgrounds for future practice in our community and areas of need in North Carolina.
Cabarrus Family Medicine Residency Program Aims
- Aim 1: Cabarrus Family Medicine Residency prepares family physicians to practice in communities that need access to comprehensive primary care including management of acute illness, chronic disease wellness and preventative care for all all ages and circumstances, in whatever stting is required - whether it be hospital, urgent care, long term care, outpatient office or the patient’s home.
- Aim 2: Cabarrus Family Medicine Residency prepares family physicians who are skilled in managing the health of populations with emphasis on compassionate, high quality, evidence-based care provided in a cost-effective manner.
- Aim 3: Cabarrus Family Medicine Residency prepares family physicians to be engaged in their community, to be leaders and innovators, to improve healthcare and encourage wellness from the local to the international level.
- Aim 4: Cabarrus Family Medicine Residency prepares family physicians who are resilient in managing change and the stressors that are inherent in our chosen profession and serve as role models for their patients and colleagues.
Medical Student Opportunities
Rotations in Family Medicine
Visiting medical student rotations are available to 4th-year students through VSLO. Our rotations are designed to give students meaningful responsibility, strong clinical training, and exposure to the full scope of family medicine—all within a supportive, resident-centered culture at a single-program hospital. Across settings, students benefit from a curriculum grounded in evidence-based, patient-centered care and a learning environment that balances autonomy with close supervision.
Outpatient Family Medicine at Cabarrus Family Medicine
For students who want an authentic look at modern, community-based primary care.
- See patients in a comprehensive family medicine clinic with broad, real-world pathology
- Build skills in continuity care, preventive medicine, and chronic disease management
- Gain experience in common office procedures
- Work alongside residents and faculty in a collaborative, teaching-focused environment
- Opportunity to participate in specialty clinic experiences, including:
- Colposcopy clinic
- Community free clinic in Concord
- Pediatric clinic serving underserved Spanish-speaking patients
- Procedure clinic at a local FQHC
Why choose this rotation?
Our outpatient experience reflects the roots of our program, which grew out of a thriving community private practice. Students gain a realistic view of how high-quality family medicine is practiced day-to-day, with an emphasis on relationships, continuity, and evidence-informed decision-making.
Inpatient Family Medicine Acting Internship
Atrium Health Cabarrus
For students who want to function at a high level and take ownership of patient care.
- Work alongside family medicine residents and attending physicians across ER, ICU, Pediatrics, Nursery, Labor & Delivery, Family Medicine Unit, Chest Pain Unit, and Cardiac Care Units
- Take an active role in patient management with meaningful autonomy and close supervision
- Participate in teaching rounds and morning report, including patient presentations
- Join the team for an evening swing shift experience, offering exposure to admissions, cross-coverage, and transitions of care
Why choose this rotation?
This acting internship is designed for students who want to think and act like an intern in a supportive environment. The combination of broad inpatient exposure and structured teaching in a single-program hospital provides a well-rounded and immersive experience in full-spectrum family medicine.
Rural Family Medicine
Elective or Acting Internship – Atrium Health Stanly
For students interested in full-spectrum care and the impact of rural practice.
- Experience broad-scope family medicine in a rural community setting
- Gain exposure to obstetrics, inpatient medicine, and emergency care
- Take on meaningful responsibility in patient care with close faculty mentorship
- Develop skills in managing a wide range of conditions with increased continuity and autonomy
Why choose this rotation?
This rotation offers a unique opportunity to experience full-spectrum family medicine in action, with greater continuity, procedural exposure, and community connection. It is ideal for students curious about practicing in settings where physicians care for patients across all stages and settings of life.
Additional Features
- Engaging didactic sessions and afternoon conferences
- A resident-driven, supportive learning culture with strong faculty mentorship
- Training grounded in evidence-based, patient-centered care
- Student housing available based on availability
For more information call 704-403-0464 or email Sharon Canterbury.