ICM – 1: January 3, 2024 - May 17, 2024
ICM – 2: August 5, 2024 – November 22, 2024
Course Director
Ben Sprague, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Medicine
spragueb@upmc.edu
Course Director
Danielle Heffner, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
heffnerdl2@upmc.edu
Course Director
Erin Cummings, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
cummingsee2@chp.edu
Course Description
Introduction to Clinical Medicine is the yearlong capstone of the Patient-Centered Care block. ICM combines advanced physical exam practice with complex communication skill development. Utilizing both simulated and real patient encounters, this course builds on introductory courses in those areas and prepares students for clinical rotations in the clerkship phase.
Course Objectives
- Accurately obtain a complete history and physical exam on both adult and pediatric patients.
- Enhance interviewing, exam, and patient communication skills through targeted skill practice.
- Effectively verbally report relevant history and physical exam findings in organized and efficient manner
- Accurately record patient history and physical exam findings in organization of medical ‘History & Physical’ document
- Begin to interpret history and exam findings to create an informed problem list and differential diagnosis
- Gain experience with obtaining data from the electronic medical record to inform comprehensive patient assessment
- Apply principles of trauma-informed care and antiracism during patient interview and exam, and intra-clinician communication (written and verbal) to combat biased treatment of patients.
Educational Methods
- Small-group skill practice with faculty instructors
- Focused exams and patient communication scenarios with standardized patients
- Self-study and independent learning, paired with small group reflection and discussions
- Small-group skill practice in clinical settings
Evaluation
Evaluation for this course is based on a clinical skills assessment, reviews and feedback from clinical preceptors and standardized patients, active participation in all course activities, and a final examination at the end of the course.
Requests for excused absences should be submitted via Elentra. Unexcused absences may result in grading penalties as outlined in the Policy on Absence and Attendance.