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Interested in learning more about this rotation? Start the process for a free introductory meeting with our team
Physician ID:
361
Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday – 7 AM to 4:30 PM; Tuesday and Thursday 7 AM to 3:#0 PM (inpatient rounds typically 7 AM to 8 AM)
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.
Location: Richmond
This inpatient and outpatient US clinical experience will take place approximately 45 miles southeast of Richmond, Virginia.
Inpatient and Outpatient US Clinical Experience in Internal Medicine in Richmond
Specialties: Internal Medicine
Location: Richmond
Price:
Hospital Letterhead: No
Faculty Appointment: No
Information about this clinical experience:
This rotation split between the inpatient and outpatient settings will be under the supervision of a board-certified internal medicine physician with years of experience practicing both hospital and outpatient medicine. The physician holds hospital appointments at Sentara Health. The preceptor has experience as an educator through an affiliation with the VCU School of Medicine.
Hospital rounds will take place in the morning before clinic. As more hospitals are moving to the hospitalist model for inpatient care, fewer physicians are involved in the care of both inpatients and outpatients. This preceptor feels strongly that hospitalized patients experience continuity of care when they are hospitalized. Therefore, the preceptor has maintained a hospital practice along with clinic duties. The typical hospital census is 2-3 patients.
In the clinic, you will see patients with both acute complaints and chronic disease. On a typical day, approximately 25 patients are seen. This will be an excellent opportunity to see how a physician with several decades of practice skillfully deals with all sorts of challenging issues. You will see how strong relationships between patients and physicians can enhance compliance, increase satisfaction, and improve outcomes. This physician is well regarded for providing patients with personalized care and believes in taking the time necessary to listen to patients and make them feel heard. Patients have consistently praised this preceptor for being genuine, devoted to their care, and having unlimited patience.
One day per week, you will accompany the preceptor and the nurse practitioner to a retirement community where you will see patients who are residents of either independent living or assisted living. Assisted living provides residents with the necessary support for personal care, dressing, eating, mobility, and medical management. In addition to rounding on select patients living there, you will also see patients in their attached clinic.
Please also note that you will be assigned topic presentations to deliver through the course of this clinical experience. This will be good practice for your role as an internal medicine resident when you will be expected to present topics in morning report and other conferences.
After a one week of observation, you will take on an increasing role in patient encounters and learn the community following under the preceptor’s supervision:
Taking patient histories under supervision.
Performing exams under the physician's supervision.
Presenting patients.
Accessing the EMR (eClinicalWorks).
Researching the literature to answer clinical questions at the point of care.
Giving topic presentations.
Spending time with other healthcare professionals to understand their roles and responsibilities.
The activities above will mostly take place in the outpatient setting. As a result of hospital policies, inpatient activities will be more observational.
Who should consider this rotation:
International medical graduates (IMGs) and students seeking US clinical experience in internal medicine.
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.
Testimonials
Dr. X was an outstanding preceptor who ensured that I remained actively involved throughout the entire rotation. The doctor encouraged participation at every opportunity, answered all of my questions with patience, clarified my doubts, and shared a remarkable amount of clinical knowledge in a relatively short period of time. Dr. X frequently challenged me with questions during patient encounters, which kept me engaged, helped identify gaps in my knowledge, and motivated me to continuously improve my clinical reasoning.
In addition to Dr. X, I had the privilege of rotating with other doctors and physician assistants. Every member of the team was welcoming, approachable, and genuinely enthusiastic about teaching medical students. Dr. X shared valuable experiences from their clinical careers, discussing memorable patient cases, diagnostic approaches, and practical tips on effective case presentations. These discussions greatly strengthened my understanding of clinical reasoning and reinforced the importance of developing a broad differential diagnosis before arriving at a final diagnosis.
One of the greatest strengths of this rotation was the emphasis on active learning. I was consistently encouraged to obtain patient histories independently and perform physical examinations whenever appropriate. This significantly improved my confidence in history-taking, physical examination skills, patient presentations, and my ability to build rapport with both pediatric patients and their families. I also gained a deeper appreciation for how textbook presentations often differ from real-world clinical practice and how patient management frequently requires individualized decision-making based on each patient's unique
circumstances.
Overall, this rotation has been one of the most valuable clinical learning experiences of my medical training...I am sincerely grateful for the mentorship and support I received throughout this experience, and I would gladly choose to rotate here again if given the opportunity.
SM
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