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Course Objectives

Upon completion of the third-year Internal Medicine Clerkship, students will be able to:

• Develop a sound basic knowledge of internal medicine subject matter and the pathophysiology of adult illnesses through the reading of required materials and application of these materials to daily patient care along with the discovery and utilization of specific scientific studies that are applicable to these disease processes.
• Refine the ability to obtain an accurate and organized medical history that builds upon education initiated during the IMP II course in the second year.
• Refine the ability to perform both a complete and a problem-focused physical examination that builds upon education and skills initiated during the Introduction to Clinical Medicine in the second year.
• Analyze the frequent manifestations of common diseases through the care of patients in the inpatient setting.
• Utilize the data gathered from the medical history and physical examination to formulate appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic plans for patients with common adult conditions encountered in the inpatient setting.
• Communicate effectively each patient’s initial presentation and subsequent hospitalization days in both a written and oral format so that this skill becomes well organized and informative to other members of the health care team.
• Develop a personal relationship with each patient that the student is responsible for the care of by utilizing effective communication skills with the patient and that patient’s support system members.
• Utilize laboratory data in the delivery of patient care and more specifically develop the ability to interpret the following: a) peripheral blood smear stained with Wright’s stain; b) urine sediment and urine Gram’s stain; c) CSF specimen by Gram’s stain, India ink stain and acid-fast stain; and d) stool heme-occult.
• Observe or participate in the performance of the various procedures routinely done by an internist. The manual skills include:
  • Venipuncture and arterial puncture (observation or participation)
  • Gastric intubation (observation or participation)
  • Placement of a urinary catheter (observation or participation)
  • Paracentesis (observation or participation)
  • Lumbar puncture (observation or participation)
  • Placement of central venous lines (observation)
  • Tracheal intubation (observation)
  • Thoracentesis (observation)
• Utilize self-evaluation as well as resident and faculty feedback in such a manner as to consistently improve upon core competencies that will be used to assess the student throughout training.
• Access and utilize outside resources for effective and efficient patient care.
• Evaluate the health care system in such a way as to promote advocacy for each patient in a responsible, respectful, compassionate, and honest manner.
• Demonstrate professionalism by showing respect and compassion towards each patient despite any socio-economical or cultural difference that may be present. This professionalism should also extend to the treatment of the student’s fellow student, supervisory resident, and faculty with the utmost respect as well as ancillary staff, including nurses, other professional students, and administrators. This integrity can be maintained by adhering to the requirements laid forth by the attending physician and supervisory resident for each general medicine team as well as by the course director.