Internal Medicine Electives
Ambulatory Care Medicine Elective
Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, OB/GYN, and Pediatric clerkships. Availability is limited.
Objectives:
- Become proficient in the comprehensive evaluation/physical exam skills for new patients presenting in the ambulatory setting.
- Understand the interpretation of laboratory, procedural, and diagnostic data as it relates to ambulatory care.
This elective offers students the opportunity to enhance skills in patient management, including initial evaluation, subsequent problem identification, and implementation of diagnostic and therapeutic plans in the ambulatory setting. Problem-oriented record keeping is stressed. Students have primary responsibility for writing progress notes, which allows the student to enhance decision analysis skills. Reading assignments cover clinical problems observed in the outpatient setting.
Cardiology Elective
Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Internal Medicine clerkship and are relatively proficient in EKG interpretation. Availability is limited.
Objectives:
- Become proficient in comprehensive evaluation/physical exam skills for new patients with cardiac disorders.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the interpretation of laboratory, procedural, and diagnostic data as it relates to cardiac diseases.
Students are assigned to a cardiology service and are involved in the management of acute and chronic cardiology problems. The clerkship includes time spent on both the invasive and noninvasive cardiovascular units, exposure to Swan-Ganz catheterization, and transvenous pacemaker insertion. Daily rounds are made with a cardiologist. Time will be spent in the Cath Lab.
Allergy Elective
Prerequisite: Fourth Year Medical Student who has completed basic Family Medicine and Internal Medicine clerkships
Objectives:
- Be proficient in the comprehensive evaluation/physical exam skills for new patients with allergic and immunologic disorders
- Be familiar with the interpretation of laboratory, procedural and diagnostic data as it relates to allergic and immunologic diseases
Students are assigned to an allergist's private office and work on a one-to-one basis with the attending physician. Allergy history-taking, skin testing techniques, pulmonary function tests and evaluation of therapy are stressed.
Hospitalist Advanced Medicine Sub-I Elective
Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Internal Medicine clerkship. Availability is limited.
Objectives:
- Become proficient in the comprehensive evaluation/physical exam skills for critically ill hospitalized patients.
- Be familiar with the interpretation of laboratory, procedural, and diagnostic data as it relates to critically ill patients.
Students function as an intern-equivalent on a critical care team with an attending physician. Students round daily with the physician and have the opportunity to perform procedures common to the critical care unit. Call is strongly suggested. Some evening and night shifts will most likely be required.
Dermatology Elective
Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Internal Medicine and Surgery clerkships. Availability is limited.
Objectives:
- Develop skills in the examination and description of dermatologic disorders.
- Gain experience in the application of appropriate diagnostic techniques.
Students will have the opportunity to work with a dermatologist in an outpatient setting.
Gastroenterology Elective
Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Internal Medicine clerkship. Availability is limited.
Objectives:
- Become proficient in the comprehensive evaluation/physical exam skills for new patients with gastrointestinal disorders.
- Understand the interpretation of laboratory, procedural, and diagnostic data as it relates to gastrointestinal diseases.
Students are assigned to a gastroenterology service with a gastroenterologist. Exposure to both primary and consultative gastroenterology cases is included. Students also spend time in the endoscopy suite and may be given the opportunity to participate in endoscopies.
Infectious Disease Elective
Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Internal Medicine clerkship. Availability is limited.
Objectives:
- Become proficient in the comprehensive evaluation/physical exam skills for new patients with infectious diseases.
- Understand the interpretation of laboratory, procedural, and diagnostic data as it relates to infectious diseases.
Students are assigned to an infectious disease specialist who will work up consultations and round daily. This elective is done in the inpatient setting.
Nephrology Elective
Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Internal Medicine clerkship. Availability is limited.
Objectives:
- Become proficient in the comprehensive evaluation/physical exam skills for new patients with renal disorders.
- Be familiar with the interpretation of laboratory, procedural, and diagnostic data as it relates to renal diseases.
This clerkship offers students the opportunity to evaluate and manage patients with common renal problems, including acute and chronic renal failure, fluid and electrolyte abnormalities, hypertension, hemodialysis, and transplantation. Students round daily with a nephrologist.
Oncology-Hematology Elective
Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Internal Medicine clerkship. Availability is limited.
Objectives:
- Become proficient in the comprehensive evaluation/physical exam skills for new patients with oncologic or hematologic disorders.
- Become familiar with the interpretation of laboratory, procedural and diagnostic data as it relates to oncologic or hematologic diseases.
Students are assigned to a clinical oncology/hematology service and round daily with the staff oncologist. An approach to the comprehensive management of the cancer patient with multiple medical problems is stressed. Students work up and manage hematologic and malignant disorders, perform procedures, and have the opportunity for blood smear and bone marrow review.
Pulmonary Medicine Elective
Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Internal Medicine clerkship. Availability is limited.
Objectives:
- Become proficient in the comprehensive evaluation/physical exam skills for new patients with pulmonary disorders.
- Understand laboratory, procedural, and diagnostic data as it relates to pulmonary diseases.
Students are assigned to a pulmonary service and participate in daily rounds with pulmonologists. Students participate in the management of acute respiratory failure with a significant emphasis on ventilatory management. Treatment of acute pulmonary infection and care of the critical care patient with multiple medical problems are covered.
Rheumatology Elective
Prerequisite: Fourth Year Medical Student who has completed basic Family Medicine and Internal Medicine clerkships
Objectives:
- Be proficient in the comprehensive evaluation/physical exam skills for new patients with rheumatologic disorders
- Be familiar with the laboratory, procedural and diagnostic data as it relates to rheumatologic problems
The student is assigned to a rheumatology service and evaluates new consults and manages chronic patients in the ambulatory setting. Areas covered include the approach to the patient with monarthritis and polyarthritis; recognition, evaluation and initial management of rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, PSS, MCTD, spondyloarthropathies, vasculitides and crystal induced disease; and the physical exam related to rheumatologic problems.
Occupational Medicine
Prerequisite: Completion of required Medicine Clerkship
Objectives:
- Understand the occupational/environmental differential of common medical conditions
- Understand how to diagnose occupational/environmental diseases
- Understand how to work up a patient for an occupational/environmental disease
- Understand the legal/ethical ramifications of occupational/environmental disease
- Understand the role of the physician in workers’ compensation and public health prevention of occupational/environmental disease
This elective clerkship offers students the opportunity for exposure to various workplaces in the community.