Family Medicine - Arizona

Description:

This elective is both an inpatient and outpatient experience. Mornings will be spent with the Family Practice residency inpatient team making rounds. In the afternoon, students will see patients with the family practice staff and resident physicians at the Mayo Thunderbird Family Medicine Center, at the corner of 92nd Street and Thunderbird in Scottsdale. Students gain experience with the full range of patients normally seen in a busy family physician's practice.

Specific Goals:

1. Gain experience in the practice of primary care medicine in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
2. Learn the principles of health maintenance and preventive medical care, including well child care, school physicals, and age-appropriate screening medical evaluations.
3. Gain experience in common primary care office procedures, including suturing, minor office surgeries, splinting and casting.
4. Learn appropriate triage of patients, including indications for hospitalization and specialty consultation.
5. Gain an appreciation of the importance of continuity of medical care, as well as evaluating a patient's complaints within the context of family and socio-economic dynamics.
6. Understand the family physician's role as a provider of primary healthcare for all members of a family and as the coordinator of specialty care.
7. Gain experience with a fully computerized electronic medical record.

Activity Outline:

Students perform initial evaluations, including appropriate histories and physical exams, on patients of all ages. Patients are then reviewed with, and examined by, a staff physician before final treatment plans are made. Experience in common outpatient procedures is available, such as suturing, assisting with minor surgeries, applying casts and splints, and aspirating or injecting joints and bursae. Overnight call does not occur, although the student will be on call for hospital admissions until 10:00 p.m. twice a week.

Students will be expected to attend biweekly half-day didactic workshops with the Family Practice residents on alternating Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, and may also attend weekly Medical Grand Rounds via teleconference. Students are encouraged to prepare and present a short lecture on a topic of their choice once during each four weeks spent in the elective.

Method of Evaluation:

Written evaluations are provided by the staff physicians and senior residents who work with the student. A consensus evaluation is then formulated by the rotation coordinator. A debriefing session is held with each student for appropriate feedback.