Clerkship

This 4-week clerkship is largely an ambulatory care educational experience in Family Medicine Residency programs and community- based private practices. The goals of the clerkship are to help students to integrate basic science and clinical knowledge and to apply them to patient care, to learn skills important in Family Medicine and to experience, first hand, the practice of family physicians. Family Medicine is a specialty with emphasis in breadth rather than depth and is associated with great diversity in patients’ ages and types of medical problems. Continuity, preventive medicine and family issues are emphasized. Minor office procedures, obstetrics, women’s health, sports medicine, community medicine are part of many family practices.

The features of this website include the syllabus clerkship assignment (written and computer cases) and useful links to resources (Family Practice Interest Group, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Family Physician (on-line journal), the Family and Community Medicine Department and other educational websites (more computer cases, medical information databases, search services such as PubMed), Mapquest for directions to your site, and contact information for questions/problems.

Most students enjoy their rotations and we hope you will too. If you have questions/problems with your site, please contact Dr. Shou Ling Leong, clerkship director, by e-mail (sleong@psu.edu) or by calling (717) 531-4660, or Wendy Jo Willenbecher, Clerkship Coordinator, by e-mail (wwillenbecher@psu.edu) or by calling (717) 531-8736.

Overview

A required orientation to the clerkship and a skill workshop will occur on the first day of the rotation at Penn State Hershey Medical Center in room C1619 beginning at 8:00am.

Agenda

1. Introduction, overview and requirements of the clerkship
2. Orientation to ambulatory medicine and the family practice perspectives to patient care
3. Educational exercise to strengthen the skills and knowledge essential in family medicine
4. Procedure workshop

Orientation specific to your clerkship site will occur on your first day at your site.

Students will report to their assigned clerkship sites following the orientation. Please read carefully the instructions posted on ANGEL relative to your site regarding time and place to report. All students will meet with their site directors for an orientation to the site.

Agenda

1. Introduction, overview and requirements of the clerkship
2. Family practice perspectives to patient care
3. Orientation to ambulatory care and the site
4. Pre-clerkship self-assessment of common problems

To assist your preceptor in addressing your individual educational needs, this should be completed by the student prior to your site orientation and a copy shared with your site director. Be sure to retain the original so you can complete the “post self-assessment”,  which needs to be turned in with your assignments to Wendy Willenbecher the last day of the rotation at the debriefing session held in room C1619 at PSHMC.

Evaluation

A debriefing and final evaluation session will occur on the last day of the clerkship (beginning at 8 AM) at Penn State Hershey Medical Center.

1. Feedback and evaluation of the clerkship experience.
2. Turn in all required assignments.
3. Final exam.