Introduction:
Welcome to The Preclinical Continuity Experience, a program sponsored jointly by the Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Family Medicine interest groups. The goal for participating students is to understand what it means to be a patient.
Process:
There are three groups, each moderated by a USU faculty member. One is hosted by Pediatrics and moderated by Dr. Kit Keiling (ckieling@usuhs.mil). Another is hosted by Family Medicine and moderated by Dr. Mark Stephens (mstephens@usuhs.mil).
The third is hosted by Internal Medicine and moderated by Dr. Dodd Denton (gdenton@usuhs.mil). Interested students should contact one of these moderators to join a group.
Participating students will contact a patient who has volunteered to participate. After enrolling, students should visit with their patient at least once a month. Meetings can occur by attending a clinic visit with the patient, visiting the patient when hospitalized, or visiting the patient in his/her home or community. If face-to-face meetings are difficult, students can talk to their patients via telephone or email. Patient meetings or conversations can occur after hours or on weekends at student and patient convenience. At least one meeting every three months must be face-to-face.
After each patient visit, students should write a brief blog about their encounter. Up to five students will write in each blog to share experiences with each other. Blog entries do not have to follow a prescribed format, but should answer one of the trigger questions provided on the splash page. Students must commit to participate before enrolling. The first blog entry must occur within six weeks of enrollment or the patient will be re-assigned to another student!
Each moderator will meet with their blog group at least twice a year to discuss what students have learned from their patients during the project.
NOTE: Participating students are not providing medical care. Instead, they are learning about medical care within the context of the military health system from the patient's perspective. If patients ask for medical advice, students should refer them to their individual primary care physician. If students uncover unexpected medical problems, they should contact the patient's primary care physician or the individual group moderator for advice.
Requirements to Participate:
- 1. You must be in good academic standing
- 2. You must commit to talk with your patient at least once a month and meet face-to-face with your patient at least every three months.
- 3. You must commit to write a blog entry after each visit.
- 4. You must commit to participate in a group debriefing session with your moderator.
CDR Dodd Denton, MD MPH
Internal Medicine
CDR Mark Stephens, MD
Family Medicine
Maj Kit Kieling, MD
Pediatrics
Dr. Steve Durning, MD
Internal Medicine
Capt Jeff LaRochelle, MD
Internal Medicine
Dr. Jan Hanson, PhD
Internal Medicine
* A second year medical student (2LT Kristen Oldach) who wished to get to know a patient and follow the course of that patient's disease, suggested this project. Faculty members and the student developed and expanded the project.
* A second year medical student, who wished to get to know a patient and follow the course of that patient's disease, suggested this project. Faculty members and the student developed and expanded the project.
Stimulus Questions
Use this list of questions to stimulate your discussion with the patient. Your blog entry after each meeting with your patient should answer at least one of these questions. Blog entries can be as short as one paragraph and should not be longer than one page.
Questions to answer early in your experience with the patient:
- 1. Describe your patient.
- 2. Describe your patient's family and/or social support network.
- 3. What are your patient's health care needs?
- 4. What about your patient's life situation affects his/her health care needs?
- 5. What health care coverage or insurance does your patient have? How does this affect their access to care?
Questions to answer later in your experience with your patient:
- 1. What are three good questions your patient's physician could ask your patient to get to know him/her?
- 2. What is the most difficult resource your patient has had to obtain, and why?
- 3. Did this enhance your ability to take an H&P? If so, how?
- 4. Did this enrich the clinical concepts course? If so, how?