A major goal of this rotation is to impress upon students the contexts in which a family medicine physician provides care for both acute and chronic illness while emphasizing the value of prevention and wellness. Students are expected to assist in the management of adult, pediatric and geriatric patients. The student will also be given opportunities to perform basic procedures, among them OMT, collection of vaginal specimens and Pap smears, performance of breast, rectal and bimanual examinations, suturing simple lacerations, splint and simple cast application, treatment of verrucae, and skin lesion removal. In select settings, the student may be exposed to more complex procedures such as upper and lower endoscopy, colposcopy, nasal endoscopy and obstetrical procedures and deliveries.
Required rotation
The required rotation in Family Medicine is a core experience for Year III students within the College of Osteopathic Medicine. In year three, students spend two four-week sessions or eight (8) continuous weeks in a structured, predominantly ambulatory experience intended to develop the student’s decision-making and cognitive skills, and to apply didactic material in a clinical setting.
Elective rotation
The elective rotation in Family Medicine is a four (4) week rotation during which the student will be given opportunities to further develop clinical skills as described for the required rotation. Most students electing to take this rotation will be in the fourth year of osteopathic medical school.
Principles
There are five principles of Family Medicine that define our profession and guide care given to our patients:
- Biopsychosocial Model (Patient-Centered)
Family Medicine is based on a biopsychosocial model that is patient-centered and teaches students to approach patients with sensitivity and responsiveness to culture, age, gender, and disabilities and develops their ability to collect and incorporate appropriate psychosocial, cultural, and family data into patient-centered management plans.
- Comprehensive Care (Whole Person Care)
Family Medicine emphasizes the importance of caring for the whole person by providing opportunities for students to participate in longitudinal, integrated, preventive services and treatment of common acute and chronic medical problems for patients and families in all phases of the life cycle.
- Continuity of Care (Continuous Health Relationships)
Family Medicine values and promotes continuous healing relationships by providing a personal medical home for patients and their families and maintaining ongoing responsibility for the health care of patients and families and facilitating transitions between the primary care provider, referral agencies, and consultants.
- Context of Care (Evidence-Based)
Family Medicine emphasizes the development of patient- and family-centered treatment plans that are evidence-based, safe, and designed to produce high-quality results that enhance functional outcome and quality of life in a culturally responsive manner.
- Coordinator/Complexity of Care (Integration)
The family physician functions as the integrator of complex care and collaborates as a health care team member in disease management, health promotion, and patient education.
Required rotation
This required rotation of no less than four (4) weeks in an internal medicine clerkship is intended to be a structured clinical experience under direct supervision. In a short time, all of internal medicine cannot possibly be covered; therefore, this must be considered an introductory experience. This rotation is a time to build a foundation in clinical problem-solving and decision-making; a time to build clinical experience and acumen on a foundation of didactic information.
The internal medicine department administers a post-rotation examination when the student has completed the required medicine rotation.
For more information on clinical rotations please visit the Clinical Affairs page.
Purpose
Clinical experiences are intended to assist the student's transition from didactic to integrated clinical evaluation and patient management. In addition to gaining specific skills, the student should also develop skill in systematic medical problem-solving and patient management abilities; establish or reinforce patterns of independent learning and self-evaluation; and improve skills in communication and medical record keeping. Under supervision, students are expected to assist in the management of acute and chronic problems. The student should also develop fundamental psychomotor skills by performing routine basic procedures under direct supervision.
Course objectives
The student should be able to:
- Elicit a record of an appropriately complete, cogent and organized medical history.
- Conduct and record an appropriately complete and accurate physical examination.
- Communicate in a facilitative, effective, efficient and educational manner with patients and their families.
- Identify the social and psychological components of patients' medical problems.
- Use knowledge of the pathophysiology of signs and symptoms to establish clinical correlation with disease processes.
- Develop an accurate and complete problem list.
- Formulate a reasoned differential diagnosis for each problem.
- Formulate an appropriate plan for confirming the diagnosis.
- Use knowledge of the indications and limitations of clinical sources such as laboratory and roentgenographic studies, consults, family input and old records to request and interpret data pertinent to problem-solving.
- Use information from texts, syllabi and journals to study general topics related to patient's problems.
- Observe, review, reassess and revise clinical management daily; record patient progress in the medical record; and make a verbal report to the health care team.
- Communicate clearly and succinctly to colleagues and other members of the health care team.
- Apply those technical skills commonly employed on a medical service.
- Formulate an appropriate initial treatment program taking into account the urgency of the patient's problems.
- Formulate an appropriate ongoing health care plan for patients within their socio-economic situation.
Technical and interpretational skills
Students are expected to acquire certain technical skills and interpretation that are commonly employed in medical care. Wherever possible, appropriate students are encouraged to participate in procedures under adequate supervision.
The student should be able to:
- Record and interpret an ECG
- Perform venipuncture for blood specimens or intravenous therapy
- Test for the presence of blood (e.g. by hemoccult) in stool
- Interpret cardiac enzymes
- Interpret a complete blood count
- Interpret results of a urinalysis.
- Interpret Gram stain results of body fluids
- Interpret bedside tests of pulmonary function
- Interpret chest x-ray findings
- Interpret arterial blood gas measurements
- Interpret serum electrolyte measurements
- Interpret common chemistry measurements (e.g. CMP)
- Interpret results of body fluid analysis including joint, pleural, peritoneal, spinal
Required rotation
This required rotation of no less than four (4) weeks in an internal medicine clerkship is intended to be a structured clinical experience under direct supervision. In a short time, all of internal medicine cannot possibly be covered; therefore, this must be considered an introductory experience. This rotation is a time to build a foundation in clinical problem-solving and decision-making; a time to build clinical experience and acumen on a foundation of didactic information.
The internal medicine department administers a post-rotation examination when the student has completed the required medicine rotation.
For more information on clinical rotations please visit the Clinical Affairs page.
Purpose
Clinical experiences are intended to assist the student's transition from didactic to integrated clinical evaluation and patient management. In addition to gaining specific skills, the student should also develop skill in systematic medical problem-solving and patient management abilities; establish or reinforce patterns of independent learning and self-evaluation; and improve skills in communication and medical record keeping. Under supervision, students are expected to assist in the management of acute and chronic problems. The student should also develop fundamental psychomotor skills by performing routine basic procedures under direct supervision.
Course objectives
The student should be able to:
- Elicit a record of an appropriately complete, cogent and organized medical history.
- Conduct and record an appropriately complete and accurate physical examination.
- Communicate in a facilitative, effective, efficient and educational manner with patients and their families.
- Identify the social and psychological components of patients' medical problems.
- Use knowledge of the pathophysiology of signs and symptoms to establish clinical correlation with disease processes.
- Develop an accurate and complete problem list.
- Formulate a reasoned differential diagnosis for each problem.
- Formulate an appropriate plan for confirming the diagnosis.
- Use knowledge of the indications and limitations of clinical sources such as laboratory and roentgenographic studies, consults, family input and old records to request and interpret data pertinent to problem-solving.
- Use information from texts, syllabi and journals to study general topics related to patient's problems.
- Observe, review, reassess and revise clinical management daily; record patient progress in the medical record; and make a verbal report to the health care team.
- Communicate clearly and succinctly to colleagues and other members of the health care team.
- Apply those technical skills commonly employed on a medical service.
- Formulate an appropriate initial treatment program taking into account the urgency of the patient's problems.
- Formulate an appropriate ongoing health care plan for patients within their socio-economic situation.
Technical and interpretational skills
Students are expected to acquire certain technical skills and interpretation that are commonly employed in medical care. Wherever possible, appropriate students are encouraged to participate in procedures under adequate supervision.
The student should be able to:
- Record and interpret an ECG
- Perform venipuncture for blood specimens or intravenous therapy
- Test for the presence of blood (e.g. by hemoccult) in stool
- Interpret cardiac enzymes
- Interpret a complete blood count
- Interpret results of a urinalysis.
- Interpret Gram stain results of body fluids
- Interpret bedside tests of pulmonary function
- Interpret chest x-ray findings
- Interpret arterial blood gas measurements
- Interpret serum electrolyte measurements
- Interpret common chemistry measurements (e.g. CMP)
- Interpret results of body fluid analysis including joint, pleural, peritoneal, spinal