Providence Family Medicine Center (PFMC)/
Alaska Family Medicine Residency (AKFMR)

General Information

Providence Family Medicine Center (PFMC) is a primary care clinic committed to providing comprehensive family medicine with open access for the Anchorage community. Services include preventive care, acute and chronic disease management, same-day urgent appointments, minor procedures and surgeries, behavioral health, social services, and specialized care for prenatal, pediatric, and geriatric patients. PFMC has achieved Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH)™ recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance and employs a team-based care model, integrating behavioral health, social work, nurse case management, patient navigation, home visits, and pharmacy services to enhance patient outcomes.

As a “safety net” clinic, PFMC primarily serves underserved individuals, with around 58% of patients identifying as Caucasian, while 42% represent other ethnicities, notably Latinx (20%) and Hmong (11%). The clinic caters to all ages, with a patient demographic of 65% female, 28% male, and 7% non-binary.

PFMC also serves as the continuity care clinic for the Alaska Family Medicine Residency (AKFMR), Alaska’s sole family medicine residency program, in partnership with the University of Washington and the WWAMI network. AKFMR focuses on training family medicine physicians to deliver quality care to diverse and underserved populations in Alaska, emphasizing cultural diversity and an interdisciplinary, patient-centered approach that prepares professionals for various practice settings, including rural and international medicine.

Internship Experience

Psychology interns at Providence Family Medicine Center gain extensive behavioral health treatment experience, primarily with adult patients. They collaborate with physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and social workers to treat chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes and mental health issues like depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance use disorders.

Interns engage in specialty clinics focusing on refugee mental health, perinatal health, addiction medicine, geriatrics, and chronic pain management. Training evolves in complexity throughout the year, allowing for increased autonomy. Intern responsibilities include behavioral health consultation, provision of focused, evidence-based psychotherapy, crisis intervention, substance use screenings, and behavioral health assessments (e.g., ADHD, presurgical, memory).

As full-time employees, interns work 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm.

Special Requirements of Applicants

Providence Hospital has a drug-free workplace policy. Interns selected for this site must complete a drug screening and attend an employee health appointment before starting their employment with the Providence Health System. Passing the drug screening is mandatory for all interns.

Additionally, all Providence interns must pass a background check as required by Alaska Statute 47.05.300-47.05.390. This background check is carried out by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Background Check Unit after the Match outcome. A record of felony or misdemeanor offenses may disqualify an intern from working at AKFMR. For a full list of barrier crimes, please refer to the State of Alaska Barrier Crime Matrix: https://www.akcertification.org/wp-content/uploads/documents/Barrier-Crime-Matrix.pdf. The background check occurs after the Match outcome.

PFMC requires that all interns be fully vaccinated for COVID as a condition of employment.

PFMC/AKFMR Contact Information

Rebecca Volino Robinson, Ph.D., rebecca.robinson2@providence.org

Website: http://www.akfmr.org

Mailing address: Providence Family Medicine Center/Alaska Family Medicine Residency 1201 E. 36th Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99508

Staff

Rebecca Volino Robinson, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist, Director of Behavioral Health, AK-PIC Training Director, Primary Site Supervisor

Virginia Parret, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist, Behavioral Health Faculty, AK-PIC Associate Training Director, Primary Site Supervisor