Ambulatory Medicine

Clerkship Objectives Index | Ambulatory | Emergency Med | Family Med | Internal Med | Neurology | Ob/Gyn | Peds | Psych | Surgery | Sub-I

OVERALL GOAL & CLERKSHIP LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The goal of the clerkship is to prepare you to be doctors with a strong foundation in ambulatory Internal Medicine. A secondary goal is to expose students to Internal Medicine as a potential career.

During this rotation students will:

1. Provide care for patients with problems and diseases commonly seen by internists in outpatient setting with a focus on patient-centered chronic disease prevention and management.
    
2. Develop an understanding of the role of patient self-management as part of chronic disease management.
    
3. Function in the role of the internist in providing care within a health system and coordinating care.
    

At the end of the Clerkship students will have a well-developed foundation in Internal Medicine developing competency in the following areas:

1. Medical knowledge related to common problems and diseases seen by Internists.
    
2. Patient Care skills necessary to care for patients with problems in Internal Medicine including:
   1. Gather a history & perform a physical exam appropriate to patients seen on the Internal Medicine service [EPA 1] to advance patient care
   2. Develop and rank order a differential diagnosis [EPA 2] for new problems based on the patient's history, physical findings, lab and imaging studies, and knowledge of the epidemiology of diseases considered.
   3. Recommend (know when and what to order) and interpret common diagnostic tests [EPA3] to advance patient care recognizing and applying value-based strategies to ensure quality while minimizing patient risk and cost.
   4. Develop a diagnostic and management (therapeutic) plan that incorporates evidence, patient preferences and values, patient self-management, and clinical judgment.
   5. Request and appropriately order consultations and referrals when needed.
   6. Enter orders and write prescriptions [EPA4].
   7. Document clinical encounters that are accurate, focused and well-organized.
   8. Deliver accurate concise, efficient & well-organized oral presentations [EPA 6].
   9. Form clinical questions and retrieve evidence to advance patient care [EPA7].
3. Interpersonal and Communication Skills that result in the effective exchange of information, collaboration with patients, families, and health professionals in a manner that optimizes safe effective patient-centered care [EPA 6]. 
    
4. Systems based practice to effectively use resources to care for patients.
   1. Identify social determinants that contribute to disparities in healthcare outcomes.
   2. Identify system failures and contribute to a culture of safety and improvement [EPA12].
5. Professionalism demonstrating a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities and an adherence to ethical principles.