MCLIN 225 - Primary Care Elective 2 (Pass/Fail)

[30 Hours]

This elective is designed to give students exposure to the full spectrum of primary care medical practice. Students choosing this elective will be required to attend 1-2 classroom or online sessions each semester that will cover some of the key principles of primary care practice. Topics covered may include: comprehensive care, continuity of care, coordination of care, community orientation, preventative medicine, evidence-based practice, the lifecycle perspective, the biopsychosocial model, primary health care ethics, how to write a case report, how to prepare a poster presentation, dealing with challenging patients, etc. Students will choose 3-4 clinical experiences that will expose students to the depth and breadth of primary care practice. Students will choose from several options offered each semester, such as attending or observing: home visits, nursing home visits, palliative care visits, school based clinics, school based pre-sports physicals, a sports medicine clinic, a rural primary care clinic, an interprofessional dermatological procedures workshop, a primary clinic at a session of the Louisiana state legislature, workshops and conferences hosted by the primary care student interest groups, etc. Students will also have the opportunity to choose an experiential session located in other locations throughout south Louisiana, and/or to create their own experiential session with approval from the supervising faculty member. This elective should be beneficial for students considering a primary care specialty, and future consultants may gain an appreciation for the role of the primary care physician. This elective will be offered in both the fall and spring.