Social Medicine Syllabus
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Medicine is practiced within a community and it is impacted by social factors that shape the community and our society as a whole. The physician is part of the community. He or she is highly influential with patients and, in some cases, in the community as a whole. The most effective physicians incorporate knowledge of societal issues and community resources along with their knowledge and skill in taking histories and performing physical examinations. They adjust their communication as needed to accommodate their patients, are sensitive to their needs, and aware of and incorporate new medical knowledge when appropriate. This course introduces the students to the art of medicine: knowledge of medicine as praticed in the community, and knowledge and skills to address the societal influences which impact medicine.
It is understood that some physicians will enter very specialized areas of patient care. However, all physicians interact with patients, families, other professionals and community members. The skills to communicate well and the knowledge of societal influences are paramount to excelling in any practice. Additionally, the best physicians are self-motivated and continue to be active learners throughout their careers. The quality of your experience in medicine, as well as in this course, will depend in part on the effort that you put into it.
This course will integrate didactic and small group sessions to provide medical students with a comprehensive introduction to the art of medicine. Block 1 will include a community practicum for first-year medical students. Session sections will be scheduled over the course of two years and divided into six blocks. Session sections are:
Didactic and Small Group Sessions
These sessions will introduce first- and second-year students to the breadth of societal issues that directly impact their ability to practice and to improve the health of their patients and their communities. Societal issues include community and public health care delivery, HIV/AIDS, Substance Abuse, Depression and Suicide, Domestic Violence, and Death and Dying. This course is introductory and students are expected to gain a familiarity, but not expertise in these areas. A working knowledge of key concepts will be acquired.
In medicine, as in life, the answers may not always be clear. Unlike multiple-choice tests, there are no right or wrong answers. As a result, controversies develop. In some sessions, ideas will be presented that will be controversial. It is not the intention of the faculty to force students to accept any one belief. The purpose is to make students aware of controversial issues that impact medicine, assist them in clarifying their own values, and prepare them for caring for patients who may have values that conflict with the students' own. Students are expected to listen respectfully to all presenters, and other students and faculty, whether they agree with their viewpoints or not.
First-Year Medical Students in Fall Semester Only
These sessions will introduce students to community service agencies that address problems related to medicine. Students will have one community placement for Fall Semester that will directly relate to the topics of Depression and Suicide, Domestice Violence, Substance Abuse, HIV/AIDS, or Death and Dying which will be discussed in the Spring Semester. Students will have the opportunity to experience first-hand how societal issues, medical problems, and diseases affect the health and well-being of patients and families, and how community agencies enable an extension of care after the patient leaves the doctor's office. Students will also have the opportunity to witness the "art" of communicating with patients in situations that are often very personal, sensitive, and/or physically and emotionally painful. Students are expected to use the knowledge gained in their community practicum experience to lead their peers in a discussion of the related topic in small group sessions in the Spring Semester.
| COURSE MASTER | ||
| Claire Clark, PhD | 581-3563 | Claire.Clark@hsc.utah.edu |
| COURSE STAFF | ||
| Leslie Read | 587-3409 | Leslie.Read@hsc.utah.edu |
| Rholinda Lange | 581-3967 | Rholinda.Lange@hsc.utah.edu |
