Family Medicine

Family Medicine

Director: Erica McClaskey, MD, MS

Associate Director: Xerxeser Kayode

Clerkship Objectives

  • Demonstrate the unequivocal value of primary care as an integral part of any health care system.
  • Teach an approach to the evaluation and initial management of acute presentations commonly seen in the office setting.
  • Teach an approach to the management of chronic illnesses that are commonly seen in the office setting.
  • Teach an approach to conducting a wellness visit for a patient of any age or gender.
  • Model the principles of family medicine care.
  • Provide instruction in historical assessment, communication, physical examination, and clinical reasoning skills.
  • To provide opportunities for training in rural and underserved settings.

Learning Objectives

  • Discuss the principles of family medicine
  • Gather information, formulate differential diagnoses, and propose plans for the initial evaluation and management of patients with common presentations
  • Manage follow-up visits with patients having one or more common chronic diseases
  • Develop evidence-based health promotion/disease prevention plans for patients of any age or gender
  • Demonstrate competency in advanced elicitation of history, communication, physical examination and critical thinking skills
  • Understand the critical role of family physicians within any health care system
  • Determine quality sources of evidence-based medical advice for primary care physicians and be able to apply them in the care of patients
  • Communicate effectively using electronic health records
  • Demonstrate the ability to complete a medical prescription
  • Understand the fundamental components of behavior change and motivational interviewing and know how to apply them in working with patients
  • Name and understand the rationale for the six core elements of the chronic care model
  • Be familiar with the concept of the patient centered medical home
  • Acquire an in-depth understanding of many common outpatient clinical problems
  • Evaluate and examine patients with common musculoskeletal complaints
  • Describe common primary and secondary dermatologic lesions in primary care and begin to understand treatment modalities for common dermatologic entities

Required Clinical Experiences

  • Physical Examination (while observed by attending)
  • Counseling, Smoking Cessation 
  • Abdominal Pain 
  • Allergic Rhinitis
  • Eczema/Atopic Dermatitis
  • Headache, Including Migraine
  • Hypertension
  • Joint Pain
  • URI viral/common cold
  • Adherence/Compliance
  • Cultural Factors
  • Routine Health Maintenance
  • Midpoint Feedback

Assessment

  • Clinical Performance Assessment by Preceptor
  • Final Exam
  • In-Class Performance/Small Groups