Family Medicine Clerkship (FPMD 7180)
This required, four week Family Medicine Clerkship will expose the students to the roles and capabilities of family physicians as primary care doctors in their local settings. They will also be introduced to other elements of the health care delivery system in the community which support and complement the services provided by the primary care physician. Students will spend 80% of their time in clinical activities, including office, hospital, nursing home, and home visits with their preceptors. The remaining 20% will consist of time spent learning and experiencing other elements of the health care system in the preceptor's community (hospital, medical staff issues, public health agencies, occupational and environmental health risks), as well as independent study.
Students have the opportunity to work with family physicians in urban, suburban, or rural areas, in or out-of-state. A network of preceptors has already been established by the department and student evaluations of those sites remain available for review in the Medical Student Education Office. However, students may request opportunities to work with board certified family physicians outside of that network. A credentialing process is necessary to accommodate those requests so students should come to the Medical Student Education Office several months before their rotations in order to begin the paperwork.
Once a student is placed, a confirmation letter is sent to the preceptor. The student must attend the required orientation on the first day of the rotation. On the Thursday before the end of the rotation, the student is required to attend the Debriefing session. Then on Friday, the student is required to take a shelf exam, and following that exam, perform an Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE). The text for the course, Essentials of Family Medicine (Sloane), is available for check-out at the circulation desk at the Eccles Health Sciences Library, but must be returned immediately following the rotation.
Student placements are financially supported with grant money from Intermountain Healthcare, Utah AHEC, and Idaho Student Affairs Program at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Students requesting placements with out-of-state physicians, unless practicing in federally designated medically underserved areas or Intermountain Healthcare communities, generally do not receive any funding from the department. The student application and CV forms follow this course description. Preceptor lists may be obtained in the Medical Student Education in Family Medicine Office.
Coursemasters:
Susan Cochella, MD ( Send Dr. Cochella an email 587-3460 )
Chase N. Peterson, MD ( Send Dr. Peterson an email 581-8250 )
Additional Faculty:
Claire Clark, PhD ( Send Dr. Clark an email 581-3563 )
Course Coordinator:
Valerie Jarrett ( Send Valerie an email 581-8633 )
For related information, see the Utah AHEC webpage: http://www.ahec.utah.edu/
Application
