Outpatient US Clinical Experience in Family Medicine in Washington D.C.

Information about this clinical experience:

You will be under the supervision of a board-certified family medicine physician who has an extensive background in teaching, having served as a faculty member at multiple U.S. medical schools, including the George Washington University School of Medicine. Presently, the preceptor teaches first- and second-year medical students from Georgetown University School of Medicine as a Clinical Assistant Professor.

The attending has been actively involved at the local, regional, and national levels. Although the physician no longer sees hospitalized patients, previously the physician held the title of Section Chief of Family Practice at a local area hospital, and served on various committees, including the Infection Control, Quality Assurance, Medical Case Review, and Pharmacy Committees. The physician has also been involved in advocacy and public service through past roles as President of the Medical Society of Northern Virginia and positions with the US Department of Health and Human Services, Federal Communications Commission, and Departments of Treasury/Justice.

The physician is well regarded by medical schools as a gifted teacher. Here is what one student had to say about the doctor’s dedication to teaching:

The doctor is by far the most involved preceptor I have had since being a 3rd year medical student. I have seen many different preceptors, attendings, and residents and none have been so passionate about teaching the med students. The med students are often overlooked in the clinical setting and even if they are acknowledged they are not given as much time with the attending as I was given during this rotation. It felt every day as if teaching the med students was just as important to the doctor as taking care of patients…So many times I have heard patients ay that the reason they enjoy going to see the doctor because they learn so much about their own conditions just by hearing what is taught to the students during the clinical encounter.

On a typical day, the physician sees approximately 20 patients in the office. You will accompany the physician from one room to another as you encounter patients with a range of medical conditions generally seen in primary care medicine. In the room, you will observe the physician take a careful patient-centered history and then perform an exam. While completing these tasks, the physician will integrate you into the encounter, bringing up teaching points and sharing important clinical pearls. While in the room, you will have the opportunity to ask patients your own questions and perform relevant aspects of the exam under supervision. As this preceptor is particularly skilled at physical examination, this will be an excellent opportunity to hone your skills in this area. Direct observation of your interactions with the patients will allow this preceptor to include relevant information regarding your bedside manner and clinical skills in your letter of recommendation. The office also performs procedures such as EKGs and PFTs so students will have the opportunity to hone their abilities in interpreting these studies. Please note that you will not be seeing patients independently during this rotation.

Rotators will also take part in a formal didactic series developed by the professor. These lectures have been refined over a period of many years and cover topics in medicine that have traditionally been difficult for students to master. The physician is particularly adept at connecting classroom basics to patient care; therefore, students who are especially interested in correlating physiology and pharmacology to the common issues seen in primary care will find this type of education thrilling.