Outpatient US Clinical Experience in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Houston

Information about this clinical experience:

This is an outpatient experience during which you will be under the supervision of a board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physician. After completing residency at the Baylor College of Medicine, the preceptor acquired additional training by completing a fellowship in Spine, Sports, and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation. The physician is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the Baylor College of Medicine.

This physiatrist is on the cutting-edge of non-surgical treatments and procedures for a range of conditions, including sports injuries and orthopedic conditions. These treatments include platelet rich plasma, prolotherapy or regenerative injection therapy, mesotherapy, and low-level laser therapy among others. This physician is also an expert on the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound for diagnosis.

Of note, the philosophy of the practice is to provide a patient-centered approach that addresses the whole person rather than only a set of symptoms. Therefore, more time will be spent with the patient, probing in detail their histories, and determining the different factors (i.e., environmental, lifestyle, etc.) contributing to the issues he or she is experiencing. As a practitioner caring for patients at the intersection of physiatry and functional medicine, the goal is to ascertain why illnesses occur and restore health by addressing the root cause of the issue.

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

• Greeting and rooming the patient, and being involved in patient intake.

• Performing physical exams under the physician's supervision.

• Presenting patients.

• Have opportunities to research the literature to answer clinical questions at the point of care.

• Being involved in patient education.

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

Please note that while you will spend most of your time with the preceptor, you will also have the opportunity to learn from the nurse practitioner. As the preceptor is not in the office on Fridays, you have the option of seeing patients with the nurse practitioner or working on a project on this day.