MEDINTER 8015 Clinical Mentoring (Longitudinal Elective)

This elective is designed to develop the teaching and mentoring skills of our Phase 3 medical students through structured hospital sessions with early Phase 1 medical students in Gateway. The primary format of the elective is observation of 2 first-year students during hospital sessions that span from August-April. During these hospital sessions the Phase 1 learners will start by observing H and Ps being done on real patients. As they gradually learn history taking skills, they will start performing the history and documenting it. After winter break, they will also start performing portions of the physical exam in addition to taking histories. All sessions will be observed by the Phase 3 mentor, who will provide immediate post-session feedback. Additionally, documentation of the clinical encounter (a written H and P) by the Phase 1 learners is to be reviewed and critiqued by the mentor. Additional practice sessions for physical exam components will be coordinated by the clinical skills director. A total of 4 sessions are required throughout the year, and should be completed from August - April. Sessions should be spaced so that they occur approximately one month apart, to allow for students to reflect and build on the skills needed to improve on subsequent experiences. The individual dates are flexible, and will be coordinated by the individual group of mentors/mentees. If you are unable to participate in a session due to being out of town or on away rotations, it is your responsibility to find a substitute mentor. During these hospital sessions the Phase 1 learners will start by observing H and Ps being done on real patients. As they gradually learn history taking skills, they will start performing the history and documenting it. After winter break, they will also start performing portions of the physical exam in addition to taking histories. All sessions will be observed by the Phase 3 mentor, who will provide immediate post-session feedback. Additionally, documentation of the clinical encounter (a written H and P) by the Phase 1 learners is to be reviewed and critiqued by the mentor. Additional practice sessions for physical exam components will be coordinated by the clinical skills director. A total of 4 sessions are required throughout the year. Phase 1 Gateway curriculum does not start until mid-September, and the elective will conclude at Spring Break, prior to the first clinical immersion for the Phase 1 students and prior to Match Day for the Phase 3 mentor. Approximately one session/month will be required during October, November, February,and March. The individual dates are flexible. If you are unable to participate in a session due to being on away rotations, it is your responsibility to find a substitute mentor.

Credit 2 units.

Typical periods offered: Medicine Year

MEDINTER 8045 Ethical Challenges in Surgery and Medicine (Non-Clinical Elective)

This elective will involve exploration of the ethical challenges discussed during didactic conferences and in clinical settings within the Department of Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. The student will be guided through readings, discussions, and projects by department faculty members with expertise in clinical ethics. The elective will result in a manuscript ready to be revised/finalized for publication submission with the student as lead author. This elective provides the opportunity to work closely with faculty mentors and should appeal to any student interested in the ethical and humanitarian challenges facing physicians in particular and society in general. Medical students are also invited to participate in ongoing research projects under the mentorship of surgery faculty. Please contact course director if you are interested in this option.

Credit 4 units.

Typical periods offered: Medicine Year

MEDINTER 8055 Care of the Homeless (Non-Clinical Elective)

The purpose of this elective is to educate students on the following areas: the causes of homelessness, the health care consequences of homelessness (including medical problems, barriers to care, distrust of health care providers), the safety net system in St. Louis, and how to provide primary care tailored to the needs of the homeless. The format of the elective will include individual readings (printed/online/CANVAS), The Pruitt-Igoe Myth, and other video resources available for free. Zoom conferences with other instructors or community resources may be arranged. Students may be asked to explore online resources for case studies or to make the class more interactive. At the conclusion, students will complete a reflection paper. At the end of the elective, the student will be able to: assist homeless persons to access services in St. Louis; list and describe barriers to care for homeless persons; list and discuss some of the ways that providers can be more accommodating to homeless patients; formulate treatment plans that address food insecurity, lack of shelter, and other homeless patients' needs; and understand the special difficulties faced in managing COVID in the homeless population.

Credit 2 units.

Typical periods offered: Medicine Year

MEDINTER 8065 Medical Education Scholarship (Non-Clinical Elective)

This elective will introduce types of education scholarship; provide guidance for selecting a topic, writing a question, and developing project objectives; illustrate meaningful outcomes for evaluation of education scholarship projects; introduce qualitative and quantitative methods appropriate for education scholarship. Enrolling for four weeks will provide time for more complete development of a proposal that could be used as the plan for a study or draft of an application to the IRB.

Credit 2 units.

Typical periods offered: Medicine Year

MEDINTER 8070 Clinical Informatics (Non-Clinical Elective)

Clinical informatics is the application of information technology and human resources in transforming data, information, and knowledge into meaningful healthcare improvement. Physicians practicing in this discipline provide oversight in the effective use of information systems and the development of innovative clinical pathways for patient care. During this rotation, trainees will assist in the operations of clinical informatics teams at BJH, SLCH, and WUSM, including information system management (e.g. incident response and improvement requests), reporting (data analysis and visualization), and clinical decision support. Trainees will support teams related to their clinical interests and participate in strategic meetings. Additional training in the use of reporting tools in Epic will be provided.

Credit 4 units.

Typical periods offered: Medicine Year

MEDINTER 8320 Patient Safety and Quality Improvement (Non-Clinical Elective)

This elective provides students practical experience with the application of patient safety and quality improvement principles. Students will bring their own experiences with patient safety or systems-based problems to serve as the foundation of learning and project development. Students will have the opportunity to meet and learn from the interprofessional team that supports patient safety and quality improvement work.

Credit 4 units.

Typical periods offered: Medicine Year

MEDINTER 8580 Humanities in Medicine: Reflecting About Professional Identity (Non-Clinical Elective)

This elective provides a creative space for using many types of activities in which to reflect about the professional identity of physicians. Creative activities may include narrative writing, poetry, drawing, video, graphic design, textile creations, and others, as well as activities for which classes and studios are available in the community at places like the Craft Alliance and the South Broadway Art Project. The elective offers faculty and/or WUSM alumni as reflective partners, as well as collaborations among students or with community organizations. Students will create independent proposals (as individuals or small groups) for a reflection project that involves the arts/humanities and relates to medicine/physicians' roles/professional identity, and make plans to complete a project to share online at the end of the elective or in another way. The course will involve students reading individually the course outline in Keystone, then drafting proposals for their projects, to include an outline of what they are going to do, the expected timeline, the resources/materials they might need and use, and what they hope to get out of this project (how this will help them grow individually as medical professionals). The course requirements are to produce some reflective product, in each student's choice of medium (visual art, writing, etc.) and to write a brief reflective narrative at the end of the session on their experience and inspiration for their work and how they have grown/changed while participating in this project.

Credit 2 units.

Typical periods offered: Medicine Year

MEDINTER 8900 Dissecting the Past (Non-Clinical Elective)

Dissecting the Past is a four-week elective that draws on the examination of primary texts and an immersive travel experience to explore how the evolution of scientific thought and cultural trends influence medical ethics and practice. Students will attend weekly sessions in the rare book reading room at Becker Medical Library examining primary sources and discussing readings, while the travel experience allows students to immerse themselves in the themes of the course by visiting historical medical collections and cultural sites. Central themes include the impact of cultural context (intellectual climate, religious beliefs, artistic trends, etc.) on the history of medical thought and practice, the ethics surrounding early modern and 19th-century medical museums, and the role of superstition and scientific method in the evolution of medical thought.

Credit 4 units.

Typical periods offered: Medicine Year