Course variations

Course summary

The Family Medicine clerkship is a required eight-week clerkship. It is designed to teach core educational objectives in Family Medicine. The eight-week Family Medicine clerkship introduces the student to concepts, values and skills of Family Medicine that are required to provide excellent comprehensive healthcare to an under served, primarily minority patient population. These values, skills and concepts are essential to the education of all medical students irrespective of eventual specialty choice. The student will learn the fundamentals necessary for the physician of first contact to provide personalized care for individuals and families. The student is taught to provide preventive/health maintenance care for healthy patients and treatment for ill patients. The student will have the opportunity to learn about the evaluation and treatment of acute and chronic medical problems. Although the development of effective clinical skills in the ambulatory patient care setting is emphasized, experiences in the direct care of patients on the Family Medicine hospital service, including labor and delivery, are also provided. Further instruction is provided in anticipatory health care, use of consultant and referral resources and the role of the family physician as the coordinator of patients’ health care.

Entry requirement for international students

The general requirements are: Become familiar with the learning objectives for this clerkship; Evaluate all assigned patients based on presenting problems and health care requirements determined by age, sex, race, and family history. Write a database and perform a complete physical examination on at least 100 patients. The Database should include the following: The chief complaint; Short and long term health requirements; Total health care database; Patient profile; Past medical history; Past surgical history; Family history; Social history; Employment history; Habits, allergies; Review of systems; Present medications (OTC , alternative, vitamins and prescribed meds); Physical evaluation; Diagnosis and treatment; Problem list; attend all didactic and clinical sessions. Students are expected to be on time. Take call every five days from 1700 to 2300, Monday-Friday; weekends, 0800-2300. Each medical student will be expected to work up 1-2 patients who come in between the listed hours. They are expected to follow up on the patient and write a SOAP note the following morning prior to morning report. Keep a log of Pts/Age/Dx/Rx/Attending or Resident. The patient log is due on the last Thursday of the rotation. Schedule one patient home visit with Susan Robinson. Write the report and place it on the chart. Attend one teen clinic session at Willie J. Freeman Health Center. Wear an identification badge and a white coat at all times. When introduced to a patient, a student should always be identified as a student physician. Schedule an appointment with the course coordinator during the middle of the rotation for mid-term evaluation. Be assigned a prenatal patient. The student is expected to come to Labor and Delivery when the patient presents in active labor.

Qualification

Doctoral

Awarding body

Morehouse School Of Medicine

Department name

Morehouse School of Medicine