University of Pittsburgh
Patient, Physician & Society

Introduction to Being a Physician
MS-1

August 17, 2009 – August 21, 2009
10 half days

Mary Korytkowski, MD

Course Director
Mary Korytkowski, MD
Professor
Department of Medicine
mtk7@pitt.edu

David M. Orenstein, MD

Course Director
David M. Orenstein, MD
Professor
Department of Pediatrics
davido@pitt.edu

Course Description

This course acquaints incoming medical students with physicians who work in the clinical and academic environment. Students have the opportunity to observe how these physicians from a variety of disciplines apply their communication and clinical skills to patient care. The focus is on learning how health problems affect patients and their families, and the role a physician can play in modifying that effect.

The goals of the course are to encourage new medical students to:

  1. appreciate the importance of effective communication to both patients and physicians.
  2. understand the importance of patient and physician factors and how these affect the   treatment of a disease.
  3. describe the role physicians can play in fostering community health.
  4. appreciate that the practice of medicine is a lifelong learning process, with continuing refinement of skill in procedures and patient communication.
  5. learn about the experience of illness and medical treatment from the viewpoint of patients and their families.

Students also receive an introduction to the Health Sciences Library System. The goals of this introduction are that students should be able to

  1. formulate questions and identify information sources required for the medical decision-making process;
  2. retrieve relevant, authoritative information through identification and optimal use of informational resources;
  3. understand the range of information sources and how each can provide unique information to aid in problem solving and decision-making.
The 32 faculty are from 11 medical school departments (Anesthesiology; Cell Biology and Physiology; Emergency Medicine; Family Medicine; Medicine; Neurobiology; Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences; Pediatrics; Pharmacology; Psychiatry; and Surgery) and from the Graduate School of Public Health and the Health Sciences Library System.


Educational Methods

Lectures Community encounter Patient interview Panel discussion
Patient presentations Small group session Case-based, small-group workshopsr Book/essay discussions

Curricular Themes

Access to quality health services, Breast cancer, Chronic disease (Cystic fibrosis/HIV), Communication skills, Community health, End-of-life care, Environmental health, Epidemiology,  Geriatrics, Human development/life cycle, Medical ethics, Medical genetics, Medical jurisprudence, Palliative care, Patient advocacy, Patient health education, Population–based medicine, Public health infrastructure.

Evaluation

Evaluation for this course is based on participation in small group sessions.

Grading: This course comprises 20% of the grade for Patient, Physician & Society Block, Section 1. Grading for the block is Honors, Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory. Grading for this course is Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory.

Faculty Note

Georgia Duker, PhD, is a recipient of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award, the Kenneth E. Schuit Award, multiple Excellence in Education Awards, and the Pre-Clinical Golden Apple Award. Daniel Edelstone, MD, is a recipient of the Kenneth E. Schuit Award. Jonathon Erlen, PhD, is a recipient of the Excellence in Education Award. Elmer Holzinger, MD, is a recipient of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award, the Donald S. Fraley Award for Medical Student Mentoring, and the Clerkship Preceptor of the Year Award. Allen Humphrey, PhD, is a recipient of the Kenneth E. Schuit Award, multiple Excellence in Education and Pre-clinical Golden Apple Awards. Kanchan Rao, MD, is a recipient of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award and the Kenneth E. Schuit Award. Jason Rosenstock, MD, is a recipient of the Kenneth E. Schuit Award and the Sheldon Adler Award for Innovation in Medical Education. Kathleen Ryan, PhD, is a recipient of multiple Excellence in Education Awards. Samuel Tisherman, MD, is a recipient of the Clerkship Preceptor of the Year Award. In addition, the following faculty participants are members of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Academy of Master Educators: Robert Arnold, MD; Georgia Duker, PhD; Daniel Edelstone, MD; Dena Hofkosh, MD; Elmer Holzinger, MD; Allen Humphrey, PhD; Kanchan Rao, MD; Jason Rosenstock, MD; and Samuel Tisherman, MD.

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