Year 3 Family Medicine Clerkship

“The Year 3 Family Medicine Clerkship is a transition from learning on your seat to learning on your feet.”

On September 10, OUCOM/CORE students began the Year 3 Family Medicine Clerkship.  This ambulatory clerkship is 8 weeks in duration and is the first clerkship taken as students begin learning in the clinical setting.  Preceptors for the clerkship are osteopathic family medicine physicians who are giving generously of their time to provide learning experiences that not only introduce the student to family medicine but also provide a foundation for becoming successful on the hospital clerkships that will follow.  The overall goal is for the student to understand the unique role of the osteopathic physician and the principles and practice of family medicine.  During the 8-week clerkship, students will spend four days in the preceptor’s office. The remaining weekday, students come to the hospital to participate in a structured small group seminar led by a Clerkship Seminar Facilitator (CSF).  Additionally, there may be seminars in radiology, medical ethics and other special topics.

The Family Medicine preceptor helps and guides the student in accomplishing the specified clerkship learning objectives such as: completing a thorough osteopathic assessment of a patient; demonstrating the ability to perform common clinical procedures; constructing a differential diagnosis for diseases commonly presented by patients in family practice and evaluating problems commonly seen in primary care.  Additionally, the preceptor is asked to systematically provide feedback to the student on seven specific components (e.g. history, chief complaint, history of chief complaint)  of a history and physical exam.

The weekly small group seminars provide students the opportunity to share learning experiences and to teach each other. Small groups are usually limited to 5 to 8 students so as to maximize participation. 

 

Guided by the Clerkship Seminar Facilitator, students make presentations  and discuss cases.  The presentations and discussions are formalized around ”required learning activities” that are based on patient cases seen in the preceptors’ offices.  For example, one required learning activity is to  lead a case discussion using a set of guidelines provided in the clerkship syllabus.  During the seminar the student leads his/her peers through the case by asking questions and  revealing each component of the case one step at a time following the SOAP format.  Following the leading of the case discussion, another student might then make a topic presentation on a disease/condition such as hypertension that was stimulated by his/her caring for several hypertensive patients in the preceptor’s practice.

The five major required seminar learning activities are: (1) Demonstrating a procedure, (2) Reporting on  a drug, (3) Leading a case discussion, (4) Making a topic presentation, and (5) Selection from one of three optional activities.

For the Selective Activity, students can choose from three options: (A) Nursing Home Visit, (B) Development of a Preventive Medicine Protocol, or (4) Report on Community Agency.

Hospital-based preceptors can be assured that with the experience of the 8-week family medicine clerkship, students will be coming to them prepared to continue building the skills and acquire the knowledge to prepare them for graduation and entry into an osteopathic internship.