Specialty: Cardiology

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MD2B Connect Physician ID # 136

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Where will this rotation take place: This outpatient US clinical experience will take place 12 miles north of downtown Chicago.

 

​Hours: Monday - Thursday 10:30 AM to 7 PM; Friday 4 PM to 7 PM; Saturday 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM PM (please note that there will be a break every day between 1:30 and 4 PM for lunch and study time)

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Hours have been provided by the preceptor. Hours are subject to change at the preceptor’s discretion, but the minimum total hours will remain approximately the same.

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What you will do: You will be under the supervision of a board-certified cardiologist. He holds hospital appointments at Presence St. Francis Hospital, AMITA Health Resurrection Medical Center, and Swedish Covenant Hospital. For many years, he was an active faculty member in the internal medicine residency program at Presence St. Joseph Hospital. In recent years, he has shifted his focus to teaching international medical students and graduates. 

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Over several decades in practice, he has educated hundreds of international medical graduates, and is known to develop close relationships with his students. Many of his students have gone on to become physicians in the U.S., and he is proud of their accomplishments. 

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As the practice of medicine has become more reliant on technology, he has seen an erosion in clinical skills. For this reason, he has created a rotation that will emphasize the mastery of clinical skills. He wants to teach his students to be able to perform a proper cardiac exam, recognize murmurs, and extra heart sounds. 

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During the rotation, you will also go over 80 Board Review EKG questions. You will go through these EKGs in great detail with the preceptor. By the end of the month, you will have significantly improved your EKG interpretation skills. 

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Since his office has the capability of performing nuclear cardiac stress tests, echocardiograms, and carotid ultrasounds on-site, students will have the opportunity to learn the proper indications for ordering these tests, observe these procedures, and learn how to interpret them. 

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After a few days of observation, you will take on an increasing role in patient encounters and learn the following under the preceptor’s supervision:​

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• Taking patient histories.

• Performing exams under the physician's supervision.

• You will be assigned topics to research and discuss. 

• Researching the literature to answer clinical questions at the point of care.

• Spending time with other healthcare professionals in the office to understand their roles and responsibilities.​

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Please note that this is a purely clinical experience. 

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Because of this physician's dedication to teaching and mentoring, he is very popular among students. During peak periods (Apr-Aug), he may have 10-12 students at a time. Despite this number, he has created a system that allows him to get to know all learners and write meaningful letters of recommendation. 

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Who should consider this rotation: International medical graduates (IMGs) and students seeking US clinical experience in internal medicine or family medicine since cardiology problems are so common in these specialties.

 

How to obtain a letter of recommendation: The rotator should ask the preceptor for a LOR near the conclusion of the rotation. Dr. Desai has provided the physician with guidelines about best practices in letter writing that meet residency program requirements. In some cases, the preceptor may ask the rotator to write a letter of recommendation draft. 

 

​During the rotation: Our team will be checking in periodically with you to ensure that you are having an optimal experience. We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions during the rotation.

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See Where Our Students Applying to Internal Medicine Have Received Interviews or Matched

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Read Dr. Desai's Interview with Dr. Roy Ziegelstein (Vice Dean for Education at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Former Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center) about How to Match Successfully in Internal Medicine