Clerkship Goals & Objectives

 

Clerkship Goals & Objectives

Goals and Objectives for Family Med. Clerkship Students

Goal 1: Students will gain an understanding of the family medicine approach to patient care.
Goal 2: Students will be able to diagnose and manage common complaints and problems seen in family practice settings.
Goal 3: Students will be able to perform common procedures typically conducted in family practice settings.
Goal 4: Students will be able to communicate effectively with patients, families, and health care team members.
Goal 5: Students will develop skills to enable the lifelong acquisition of medical knowledge
There is a set of defined objectives for reaching each goal.
Click on a link to read the objectives for a specific goal, or scroll down to view all goals and objectives.
Goal
1		 Students will gain an understanding of the family medicine approach to patient care, to include: physical and mental health; influence of family, culture, community; continuity of care; and health promotion / disease prevention.

Goal 1 Objectives:

  • Students will be able to identify ways in which family, culture, and community affect patient health and behavior.
  • Students will be able to obtain a family and social history.
  • Students will be able to identify appropriate community resources for patients .
  • Students will be able to identify patient risk for developing chronic disease.
  • Students will be able to educate patients about health promotion and disease prevention, as well as specific health behaviors, including smoking cessation, weight loss, and exercise.

 


Goal
2		 Students will be able to diagnose and manage common complaints and problems seen in family practice settings.

Goal 2 Objectives:

For each LCME required problem (see passport), students will be able to:
  • Conduct a focused patient history
  • Conduct a focused physical examination
  • Identify appropriate tests and procedures needed for diagnosis
  • Develop a differential diagnosis and describe the rationale for the diagnosis
Common Complaints
-Abdominal Pain
-Back Pain
-Chest Pain
-Diarrhea
-Cough
-Dizziness
-Fatigue
-Fever
-Headache
-Joint Pain
-Nasal Congestion
-Neck Pain
-Shortness of Breath
-Skin Rash
-Sore Throat
-Vaginal Discharge

For each screening recommendation, students will be able to:

  • Perform recommended screenings
Screening Recommendations

-Cancer of Prostate
-Cancer of Cervix
-Cancer of Breast
-Cancer of Colon
-Cholesterol
-Osteoporosis
-Hypertension
For each common problem, students will be able to:
  • Diagnose the problem
  • Develop a management plan
Common Problems

-Anemia
-Anxiety
-Asthma
-Breast Problems
-Bronchitis
-COPD
-Coronary Artery Disease
-Acute Cystitis
-Dermatitis / Eczema
-Diarrhea
-Depression
-Diabetes Mellitus
-Dizziness
-Gastroenteritis
-Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
-Hypercholesterolemia
-Hypertension
-Hyperthyroidism / Hypothyroidism
-Kidney Stones
-Osteoarthritis
-Otitis
-Menopausal Symptoms
-Menstrual Syndromes
-Peptic Ulcer Disease
-Pharyngitis
-Allergic Rhinitis
-Sexually Transmitted Diseases (Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Bacterial Vaginosis, Trichomonas, Herpes Simplex)
-Sinusitis
-Strains / Sprains
-Tendonitis / Bursitis
-Vaginitis (Candida)
- Acute Upper Respiratory Infection Menopausal Symptoms          (Preventive Care - Adults and Children)

Goal
3		 Students will be able to perform common procedures typically conducted in family practice settings.

Goal 3 Objectives:

For each procedure, students will be able to:
  • Perform the identified procedure associated with the problem
  • Interpret findings of the diagnostic procedures
  • Apply findings of the diagnostic procedures to the health care management of the patient

Goal
4		 Students will be able to communicate effectively with patients, families, and health care team members.

Objectives:

  • Students will demonstrate an ability to develop rapport with patients through effective listening skills, empathy, sensitivity, respect of the patient as a person, and conveying information to the patient in an accurate and understandable manner.
  • Students will demonstrate an ability to develop effective working relationships with practice staff.
  • Students will be able to provide accurate, complete, and organized case presentations of patient encounters.

 


Goal
5		 Students will develop skills to enable the lifelong acquisition of medical knowledge.

Objectives:

  • Students will be able to identify sources of medical information.
  • Students will be able to frame a clinical question to include the most specific patient population, intervention, and outcome.
  • Students will be able to conduct a literature search pertaining to a clinical question.
  • Students will be able to determine the relevance and validity of a given article to a clinical question.
  • Students will be able to identify how research findings would affect their clinical management of a patient.

 


There are several other student requirements in addition to these stated goals and objectives (see the Student Responsibilities page)

 

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