Electives

Overview :

Electives are intended primarily to enrich the residents' training with experiences relevant to their plans for future practice or their interests as family physicians. Residents select their own electives with the assistance and approval of their Team Leaders. Residents may select from established electives, use elective time to spend additional time on required rotations, or create their own electives to meet their own needs and interests. Established electives include:

 

Individually-created electives require prior approval of the resident's Team Leader in consultation with the Director, and must include experiences appropriate to family medicine under the supervision of a qualified preceptor who is willing to complete the program's standard evaluation form. Elective rotations are preceptorial rotations typically lasting 2-4 weeks. The rotations occur in locations included in the preceptor's usual practice.

Goals:

1) At the completion of each elective rotation, the resident will have an understanding of practice in the area of medicine included in the elective.

2) At the completion of each elective rotation, the resident will have knowledge and skills in the area of medicine included in the elective pertinent to the practice of family medicine.

Objectives:

At the completion of this rotation, the resident will have demonstrated to the satisfaction of the preceptor:

--medical knowledge in the area of medicine covered by the elective pertinent to the practice of family medicine. (MK)

--the ability to perform an appropriate history and physical examination in the area of medicine covered by the elective and to present these findings to another physician in an appropriate manner (PC).

--the ability to interpret appropriate data related to the area of medicine covered by the elective and arrive at reasonable diagnostic and management decisions, weighing alternatives, benefits, and risks of diagnostic and therapeutic options, and co-managing patients appropriately with other specialists (PC).

--the ability to make appropriate decisions to assure high-quality care in a cost-effective manner ( SBP ).

--communication and interpersonal skills which facilitate positive and therapeutic relationships (ICS).

--the ability to work cooperatively with other health professionals as part of a health care team (ICS).

--compassion, respect, and integrity; responsiveness to the needs of patients and society that supercedes self-interest; accountability to patients, society, and the profession; a commitment to excellence and on-going professional development (P).

--a commitment to ethical principles pertaining to the provision or withholding of clinical care, confidentiality of patient information, informed consent, and business practices (P).

--sensitivity and responsiveness to a patient's culture, age, gender, and disabilities (P).

There are no specific procedural requirements for electives. However, there is a separate Procedures Curriculum and residents may gain experience meeting these requirements during elective rotations. (PC)

Implementation:

Electives are preceptorial rotations, so the resident is assigned to a particular preceptor or group in the area of medicine covered by the elective. The resident will accompany the preceptor in locations involved in the preceptor's usual practice. In the course of seeing patients, the preceptor will provide experiential learning, role-modeling, and one-on-one teaching to the resident. At the discretion of the preceptor, the resident may be assigned to research specific topics in the area of medicine covered by the elective.

The resident is responsible for contacting the preceptor prior to the start of the rotation to arrange a schedule for the rotation. If the elective rotation is local, the resident must continue to meet usual residency obligations to his/her Family Medicine Center population including attending scheduled clinics, caring for continuity patients admitted to Memorial Hospital, and rounding in the nursing home. Adjustments will be made as needed for away rotations, and the resident may not be required to attend noon conferences at the discretion of the Director. The resident is expected to abide by duty hour restrictions in keeping with usual program policies. Upon completion of the rotation, the resident must complete and return the evaluation form provided by the program.

Evaluation:

The preceptor will complete an evaluation form at the end of the rotation assessing the resident's success in meeting the rotation objectives as outlined in this curriculum.