Outpatient US Clinical Experience in Pediatrics in New York

Information about this clinical experience:

You will be under the supervision of a physician who is board-certified in Pediatrics. The preceptor holds hospital privileges at Maimonides Medical Center, New York Presbyterian Hospital, and Weill Cornell. The physician is presently Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College and Assistant Attending Pediatrician at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Maimonides Medical Center.

The doctor has practiced pediatrics in different settings and countries. The physician's career began as a pediatric hospitalist before the doctor established an outpatient practice in New York City. In the past, the physician was actively involved in the education of pediatrics residents at Maimonides Medical Center.

Because the preceptor has a background in both Western medicine and traditional and complementary medicine, this is an excellent opportunity to learn how to deliver holistic and evidence-based care utilizing either or both approaches. An increasing number of pediatric residency programs are incorporating complementary therapy in their curriculum in response to heightened demands for these services from parents and children. You will gain knowledge and experience in speaking to patients about lifestyle, yoga, and herbs among other treatment modalities.

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

• Taking patient histories (escort patients to the room, check vitals, take HPI, enter info into EMR).

• Performing physical exams under the physician's supervision.

• Presenting patients.

• Entering clinic progress notes into the EMR (eClinicalWorks).

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

• Have opportunities to teach other team members.

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

Please note that the first week of your experience (as well as every Monday of the experience) will largely be spent understanding how the clinic operates. Therefore, you will spend time at the front desk seeing how staff greets patients, checks them in for their appointments, handles billing/insurance issues, and manages the check out process. The evidence indicates that many IMG residents are not confident in their knowledge of health insurance, healthcare delivery, and systems-based care. Therefore, this will be a valuable opportunity to gain this important knowledge. You will also be introduced to patient flow which is defined as how a patient moves through the clinic from the moment they arrive to the moment they leave. Research shows that an organized practice can leave a very positive impression on patients, increasing their satisfaction and the likelihood that they will continue to pursue their treatment with the doctor. Having a strong understanding of clinic operations will benefit you when you become a pediatrics resident because a substantial portion of your time will be spent in the outpatient clinic where you will care for a panel of patients assigned to you. Their overall impression of you will begin long before they see you in the exam room and will be influenced by your clinic's patient experience and flow. An awareness of clinic operations will allow you to see unmet needs, bring these important issues to light, and advocate for your patients.