Course Objectives, Internal Medicine Clerkship Program at the University of Minnesota

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The primary goal of the Medicine Core Clerkship is to help students become competent in the basic assessment and management of important, common problems in internal medicine to prepare them for postgraduate training.  Through direct clinical and other learning experiences students will have exposure to many common medical conditions and the opportunity for continued growth as a physician.  Course objectives are provided to guide student, faculty, and tutors in the educational process.  Objectives in red are emphasized in Medicine 7-500.

Specific Objectives:The student will be able to:

• Elicit a record an appropriately complete, cogent, and organized medical history.
• Conduct and record an appropriately complete and accurate physical examination
• Communicate in a facilitative, effective, efficient, and educational manner with patients and their families.
• Identify the social and psychological components of patients’ medical problems.
• Use knowledge of the pathophysiology of signs and symptoms to establish clinical correlation’s with disease processes.
• Develop an accurate and complete problem list.
• Formulate a reasoned differential diagnosis for each problem.
• Formulate an appropriate plan for confirming the diagnosis.
• Use knowledge of the indications and limitations of clinical sources such as laboratory and roentgenographic studies, consults, family input and old records to request and interpret data pertinent to problem solving.
• Use information from texts, syllabi, and journals to study general topics related to patient’s problems.
• Observe, review, reassess, and revise clinical management daily, record patient progress in the medical record, and make a verbal report to the health care team.
• Communicate clearly and succinctly to colleagues and other members of the health care team.
• Apply those technical skills commonly employed on a medical service.
• Formulate an appropriate initial treatment program taking into account the urgency of the patient’s problems.
• Formulate an appropriate ongoing health care plan for patients within their socio-economic situation.
• Assume independent responsibility for the primary care of patients with appropriate supervision.
• Recognize and respond appropriately to common medical emergencies.
• Demonstrate independent learning in response to questions raised in the clinical setting by using textbooks, journal articles, media, computer-based tools and other resources.
• Demonstrate an expanded fund of knowledge by active participation in tutorial sessions. 

Technical and Interpretation Skills:

Students are expected to acquire certain technical skills and interpretation that are commonly employed in medical care.  Wherever possible and appropriate students are encouraged to participate in procedures under adequate supervision.  Since the opportunities for participation will be limited, the acquisition of technical expertise should occur throughout both Externships in Medicine.  The student should be able to:

• Record and interpret an ECG.
• Perform venipuncture for blood specimens or intravenous therapy.
• Test for the presence of blood (e.g. by hemoccult) in stool.
• Interpret cardiac enzymes.
• Interpret a complete blood count.
• Interpret results of a urine analysis.
• Interpret gram stain results of body fluids.
• Interpret bedside tests of pulmonary function.
• Interpret chest x-ray findings.
• Interpret arterial blood gas measurements.
• Interpret serum electrolyte measurements.
• Interpret results of body fluid analysis including joint, pleural, peritoneal, spinal