Family Medicine Clerkship (FMC)
MS-3

4 weeks

Course Director
Yaqin Xia, MD, MHPE
Assistant Professor
Department of Family Medicine
xiay@upmc.edu

Course Description

The Family Medicine Clerkship is a 4-week rotation that encompasses the comprehensive and longitudinal care of patients with a special emphasis on care of individuals in the context of families and communities.

The goals of the course are:

1. to improve and evaluate the clinical skills of all participating students;
2. to provide participating students with a fundamental knowledge of the diagnosis and management of the most common problems encountered by family physicians in inpatient and outpatient settings and in the home;
3. to provide participating students with a rational and scientific approach to preventive medicine, clinical decision making, and coordinated health–care systems;
4. to familiarize students with the unique aspects of family medicine with its emphasis on care of patients that takes into consideration all their health care needs, their social and economic circumstances, their families and communities, and their cultural and religious backgrounds;
5. to provide students with a fundamental understanding of the economic influences over the delivery of health care in general and the care of individual patients in particular.

Students participate in patient care at offices and clinics throughout the region, including hospital-based sites and a variety of community-based locations, in generalist and/or specialist settings.

Educational Methods

	Ambulatory and inpatient clinical experiences		Case-based workshops		Virtual family medicine classroom readings		Home visit and family and community assessment
	Clinical skills workshops		Lectures		Required readings

Evaluation

Evaluation in this course is based on evaluation of clinical performance by preceptors at community–based sites (70%), modified chart simulated recall oral exam (10%), written exam consisting of 50 multiple–choice items (10%), and documentation of family and community assessments (10%). 

Grading: The clerkship is graded Honors, High Pass, Pass, Low Pass, Unsatisfactory.

Faculty Note

The following faculty participants are recipients of the Award for Excellence in Clinical Precepting: Altoona Family Physicians; Donald Beckstead, MD; Jennifer Good, MD; Robert Potter, MD; and Marc Schneiderman, MD.  These faculty participants are recipients of the Faculty Teaching Award for Excellence in Teaching: William Markle, MD; Richard Zimmerman, MD; Donald Middleton, MD; Tracey Conti, MD; Anne Boyd, MD; and Dawna Woodyear, MD. In addition, Dr. Woodyear is a recipient of the Clerkship Preceptor of the Year Award and Dr. Middleton is a recipient of the Kenneth E. Schuit Award, the Sheldon Adler Award for Innovation in Medical Education, and the Excellence in Education Award.