Advanced Medical Interviewing
MS-2

January 5, 2010 – January 29, 2010
4 sessions

Course Director
Janine M. Frank, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
frankjm@upmc.edu

Course Director
Jonathan R. Pletcher, MD
Visiting Associate Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Jonathan.Pletcher@chp.edu

Course Director
Carla Spagnoletti, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
spagcl@upmc.edu

 

Course Description

The goal of this course is to explore the interviewing process more in depth and to practice the skills of the medical interview, after students have clinical experience with patients.

After completing this course, students should be able to:

1. describe all the tasks involved in a physician-patient encounter.
2. demonstrate an ability to use skills important in developing a therapeutic relationship.
3. demonstrate an ability to complete initial tasks of the interview with patients in difficult situations.
4. demonstrate an ability to interact compassionately with a patient who has unrealistic expectations of the encounter.

The 16 faculty are from the Departments of Family Medicine, Medicine, and Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Surgery.

Educational Methods

This course uses a combination of didactic sessions and encounters with Standardized Patients. After the lecture, students separate into small groups of 4 – 5 students and practice each of the tasks, one student at a time, with a Standardized Patient.

	Standardized patient encounters		Clinical skills development		Lectures

Evaluation

Evaluation is based on attendance and on faculty evaluations of the last two sessions.

Grading: This course comprises 50% of the grade for Introduction to Patient Care Block, Section 4. Grading for the block section is Honors, Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory.

Faculty Note

Andrea Fox, MD, is a member of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Academy of Master Educators. In addition, Dr. Fox is a recipient of multiple Excellence in Education Awards for Mentor.