Medical Education

Curriculum
Block III - Years III & IV - Objectives

At completion of the Block III program, the student will be able to:

• Demonstrate appropriate professional behavior
• Demonstrate ability to perform a history and physical examination with appropriate depth and breadth according to patient’s age, gender, occupational/environmental exposures, functional status and presenting problem(s).
• Demonstrate ability to record comprehensive and appropriately focused H&Ps on patients in the inpatient and outpatient settings, including composing accurate and thorough Problem Lists, SOAP and Progress notes.
• Develop, prioritize and justify differential diagnoses for patients.
• Develop treatment plans, including diagnostic, therapeutic, and patient education components.
• Demonstrate understanding of how social, psychological, economic, cultural and biological issues influence patients’ health and medical care.
• Demonstrate clinical reasoning skills
• Demonstrate ability to make case presentations in a clear, succinct and accurate manner
• Demonstrate mastery of etiology, pathophysiology, pathology, clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, management and clinical pharmacology of conditions specified in the clerkships.
• Demonstrate understanding of the medical as well as non-medical factors related to cost of health care
• Demonstrate ability to perform computer searches of available medical data bases to obtain medical literature information relevant to the care of assigned patients.
• Demonstrate competency in the following components:
  • Growth patterns and developmental milestones
  • Ability to counsel patients/parents in health maintenance and other health promotion areas
  • Care of the normal newborn
  • Ability to assist in or perform an uncomplicated spontaneous vaginal delivery
  • Ability to counsel patients to quit smoking
  • Understand palliative care and hospice
  • Ability to perform a diagnostic interview on patients presenting with psychiatric problems
  • Ability to manage surgical specialty problems encountered in the primary care office
  • Ability to discuss appropriate evaluation and treatment of a person who is the victim of domestic violence
  • Ability to know when to treat or make referral on patients presenting with surgical problems
• Demonstrate competency in the following procedures:
  • Ability to perform a breast exam
  • Ability to perform a pelvic exam
  • Attainment of basic surgical skills, including correct handling of instruments and proper knowledge of tying techniques
  • Ability to interpret electronic fetal monitoring strips of selected conditions
  • Ability to perform common office procedures
  • Ability to read EKGs, identify the rate, rhythm, axis, interval, diagnosis and determine if the reading calls for assistance/intervention
  • Ability to demonstrate a methodical approach to the reading of chest x’rays, write up an interpretation/diagnosis and recommend the next appropriate step in the care of the patient
  • Ability to perform a complete mental status examination and record the findings
  • Ability to apply basic principles of surgery in emergent settings
  • Ability to provide patient education for common medical conditions