PREREQUISITES AND PLACEMENT IN THE CURRICULUM: Must complete M3 Core Clerkship in Medicine.

PURPOSE: These electives are meant for students who have a strong interest in family medicine as a career. It is well known that intern year is exhausting and often overwhelming: a new environment with high expectations, new peers, new faculty, and many time, knowledge and skill demands. This course is intended to help jumpstart the residency experience by providing M4s with an opportunity to learn some survival essentials for Family Medicine internship. The course will address the basics of practice management, review of core clinical knowledge (through completion of tested computer-based clinical cases), and skills for stress-management and personal resource identification to provide support and build confidence. In addition, students will have opportunities to interact with residents completing their intern year, and to get information regarding what they wish they had known coming into their residency program.

COMPETENCIES: This course will enhance students’ knowledge and skills in four areas: application of knowledge to common clinical cases; providing competent inpatient care; essentials of practice management; and, personal and professional development.

INSTRUCTIONAL FEATURES: Students can acquire 2 or 4 credits, by combining some of the four components outlined below or by completing all of them. Students’ learning activities will be guided by Dr. Sagina Hanjrah, Director of Predoctoral Education, Department of Family Medicine.

ELECTIVES:

  1. Inpatient Clinical Experience-Students can spend 2-4 weeks on the Family Medicine Inpatient service at UIH. Students will report to, and be evaluated by senior residents and attendings.
  2. Advanced Family Medicine Elective (non clinical)

This elective has 3 components to it and include the following:

  1. Family Medicine Cases-Students will select and complete 20 FM cases from a Penn State database of common family medicine medical case scenarios. Students will keep a log of the cases completed. These cases are reviewed by a faculty member, Dr. Sohn
  2. Practice Management-The AAFP has a prepared an interactive CD on Practice Management for FM residents. The disc gives an overview of contracts, informed consent, financial management of a clinic setting, insurance, an introduction to billing and coding, and medico-legal issues. Each segment of the course concludes with a quiz and review.
  3. Personal and Professional Development-Through selected readings as well as individual or small group sessions with Dr. Stringham, students discuss how to access community resources, both professional and personal, in a new environment-Tactics for establishing professional networks in one’s area of particular interest in family medicine, e.g., OB, sports medicine

    -Strategies for stress prevention and management

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION:

Program Number: ELEC 938

Program Director: Sagina Hanjrah, MD