The article presents the experience of teaching the discipline «outpatient therapy» in a remote format at the department of outpatient therapy of the medical faculty of the Russian National Research Medical University. N.I. Pirogov during the COVID-19 pandemic. The contribution of the department to the training of personnel for primary health care, the principles of organizing the pedagogical process in the epidemic period for interacting with students and monitoring the knowledge gained are presented. The importance of an automated educational system in the process of distance learning is discussed, which significantly accelerated and facilitated the work of the faculty of the department. The role of the «trigger mechanism» of distance learning for the intensification of the work of the department’s employees in the creation of educational, methodological, control and measuring materials and self-improvement for close interaction with technical innovations is noted. The remote type of work with students is possible, but it is not perfect - no «analogue» of the generally accepted training at the university can replace the «live communication» of the teacher with the student.