Ohio University

Osteopathic Family Medicine 1 is a six-week ambulatory clerkship designed to provide you with experiences in an Osteopathic Family Medicine setting. The American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP) defines an Osteopathic Family Physician as “a physician whose training and experience qualify one to practice in the fields of medicine and surgery and who is able to accept the total continuing responsibility of the patient and/or the family as a whole as their physician and medical advisor. Osteopathic Family Physicians assume the responsibility of the patient’s comprehensive and continued health care and act as coordinators of their patients’ health services.”

The overall goal of Osteopathic Family Medicine 1 is for you to understand the unique role of the Osteopathic Family Physician and the principles and practice of Family Medicine. You will participate in structured learning activities based on a defined set of explicit learning objectives. These objectives represent the basic knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for patient management relative to access, continuity, and coordination of health care for the family unit and individual patients of all ages. You will accomplish these objectives primarily through clinical experiences supervised by a physician preceptor in a medical clinic or private practice office setting. You will build upon basic clinical skills learned during early clinical contact, simulated patient experiences, and clinical practicum labs.

Some of these experiences will be provided in those rural Southeastern Ohio Counties that comprise the primary area served by the Ohio University Area Health Education Center (AHEC) program. AHEC is a national and state health professions education program which bridges health training resources with community needs. The Ohio Statewide AHEC program, initiated through federal funding in 1978, is a uniquely designed program that merges the resources and cooperative efforts of medical and osteopathic schools and the Ohio Board of Regents. This clinical course is a way for OU-COM to meet one of its statewide AHEC goals of promoting and supporting clinical training opportunities for health professions students in community-based sites.

2. Clerkship Goals and Objectives

2.1 Goals

Upon completion of this clerkship you will:

· gain an appreciation of the primary care practitioner’s role as the physician of first contact who delivers holistic, family-oriented, comprehensive, and continuous medical care to those patients entering the health care system

· develop greater confidence in providing traditional quality medical care in ambulatory settings

· recognize the significance of complementary and alternative medicine in the overall plan of treatment/care and medical management of the patient

· recognize the importance of the cultural competence of physicians in the treatment of patients

· appreciate the importance of patient safety practices

· enhance skills to acquire evidence-based medicine information

· explore community resources for utilization in case management, disease prevention, health maintenance, and patient education

· understand family systems concepts, the impact that family functioning and psychosocial factors have on health and illness, and the importance of involving the family in the treatment of the patient in order to provide effective overall health care

· enhance history and physical exam, diagnostic, procedural, OMT, interpersonal communication, psychosocial, and practice management skills to improve patient care

· increase knowledge about the etiology, appropriate intervention and treatment, and possible complications of diseases and conditions with which patients and their family commonly present in the primary care setting

· gain a better understanding of the moral, ethical, political, legal, economic, and cultural issues affecting the practice of family medicine

2.2 Objectives

These objectives are intended to guide your learning activities and to serve as a baseline for assessment of your knowledge, skills, and professional behavior. While you are expected to further expand your knowledge base and to care for all assigned patient cases, you are also expected to avail yourself of the educational materials provided and to work toward mastery of the following objectives.

Upon completion of this clerkship, you will be able to:

· complete a thorough osteopathic assessment of a patient, determine the need for manipulative medicine, and demonstrate basic osteopathic manipulative techniques

· discuss the indications, contraindications, interactions, pharmacokinetics, side effects, and special instruction to patients for drugs commonly prescribed for patients seen in family practice

· discuss the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention and develop a differential diagnosis for the conditions and diseases listed in Appendix A of this document

· demonstrate the ability to perform common clinical procedures, tests and skills listed in Appendix B of this document

· discuss with patients the appropriate use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) using a strategy that highlights the need for a formal discussion of patients’ preferences, expectations, and values.

· recognize and respond appropriately to patients’ concerns about the following issues commonly encountered in family practice:

	alcohol and drug abuse	marriage/family problems
	cigarette smoking/tobacco use	medical/surgical aftercare
	contraception	pre- and postnatal care
	family planning	routine gynecology/breast exam
	immunizations (children/adult)	well child care

· evaluate and develop a differential diagnosis for patients presenting with the following:

abdominal pain	angina	depression
abnormal uterine bleeding	anxiety	dizziness
allergies	back pain	dysuria
amenorrhea	chest pain	edema
anemia	constipation	epistaxis
fever	diarrhea	fatigue
headache	rhinorrhea	vaginal discharge
hematuria	shortness of breath	varicosities
high blood pressure	somatic dysfunction	vertigo
hyperlipidemia	sore throat	vomiting
joint pain	syncope

· discuss the ethical, moral, and social challenges that may confront the patient, family, or physician when dealing with health care issues

· utilize evidence-based medicine research strategies to access information to help develop an effective treatment plan

· employ patient safety measures in patient management

· describe the role of family dynamics in the delivery of health care

· demonstrate the following interpersonal communication skills that build rapport with patients and their families and facilitate a positive physician-patient relationship:

	proper greetings and introductions	empathy and sensitivity
	active listening	proper closure of interaction
	appropriate eye contact	respect and support
	attentiveness and concern	self-confidence

· demonstrate appropriate history and physical exam skills

3. Clerkship Orientation and Logistics