Combined Inpatient & Outpatient US Clinical Experience in Cardiology in Houston

Information about this clinical experience:

This rotation split between the inpatient and outpatient settings will be under the supervision of a board-certified cardiologist. The physician holds hospital appointments at several institutions, including Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital, Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center, and HCA Houston Healthcare System. The preceptor serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Your day will begin at the hospital for rounds during which you will see patients with typical cardiac complaints and conditions, such as CAD and heart failure. You will learn how an experienced cardiologist performs new consultations in patients with chest pain, shortness of breath, and other symptoms. Goals of the inpatient component of this experience include recognizing the differential diagnosis of chest pain and shortness of breath and performing the appropriate diagnostic work-up, interpreting electrocardiograms, and understanding indications for cardiac testing (e.g., stress testing, echocardiography, coronary angiography). After you get comfortable in the hospital setting, you will be assigned several patients to follow.

Rounding with the attending will also give you an opportunity to see how effective communication takes place within the hospital setting. You will observe how to communicate vital information about the patient’s condition, plan of care, and prognosis to patients and their families. You will also learn how a consultant communicates findings in a timely manner with the referring team.

In the clinic, you will see patients with both acute complaints and chronic disease. Please note that 90% of patients seen in the clinic will be for follow-ups following hospital discharge. As this is a high-volume clinic with many patients needing to be seen within a relatively short period of time, you will see these patients with the physician.

During your experience, you will learn the following U.S. medical practices under the preceptor’s supervision:

• Taking patient histories.

• Performing physical exams under the physician's supervision.

• Presenting patients.

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

• Educating patients.

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

Because this experience will mostly take place in the hospital, please note that your involvement will be largely observational.