Description

The Family Medicine elective is a subinternship designed to incorporate fourth year medical students into the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency – Rochester clinical care teams and consists of both inpatient and ambulatory experiences.

Students spend two weeks in the resident training clinic,  Mayo Family Clinic Kasson.  The student is partnered with a resident working off of the resident's calendar. Students also spend two weeks on the Family Medicine Inpatient Service at Saint Marys Hospital. Family medicine residents and staff are assigned to this service. Medical students assume primary responsibility for the patients that they admit to the family medicine service.

Specific goals

1. Gain an understanding of family medicine in the inpatient and outpatient ambulatory care arena
2. Observe how the practice of family medicine is integrated into the spectrum of care delivered by a large multispecialty institution
3. Evaluate family medicine as a possible career choice
4. Gain background information about the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency in Rochester, MN
5. Develop definitive care plans in an outpatient and an inpatient setting
6. Refine history taking, physical examination, as well as assessment and management skills
7. Obtain an introduction into practice management skills, in an outpatient and inpatient setting, including clinic management, billing, and coding

Activity outline

• In the ambulatory care setting at the  Mayo Family Clinic Kasson, students are assigned patients from the residents’ calendars. Students perform appropriately focused histories and examinations; formulate possible diagnoses, assessments and plans; work with the assigned resident; and present each case to the preceptor for the day to finalize the diagnosis and treatment plan.
• Discuss coding and documentation with the preceptor on each patient seen during the day.
• Attend daily rounds on the Family Medicine Inpatient Service, as well as teaching huddles in the residency clinic.
• Complete comprehensive history and physical examinations on patients admitted to the inpatient service and develop comprehensive assessments, differential diagnosis and treatment plans.
• Present patients each morning on rounds, as well as follow assigned patients through the entire course of care.
• Attend all applicable conferences and resident seminars while on inpatient or outpatient services.

Method of evaluation

Students are evaluated by the faculty and residents in the inpatient and in the ambulatory care settings.