Primary Care

This two-week elective provides you with an immersion experience in a family-oriented primary care site. While primary care often focuses on the biopsychosocial model, this elective will provide you with additional experience focused specifically on family interactions within primary care. You will see patients, read selected papers, and complete a reflective paper on the topic.

Travel within greater New Haven may be required depending upon the number of students requesting the elective at a given time.

Length of rotation: Two weeks

Typical day start/end: 8:00 am-5:00pm (may include weekends)

Location: To be assigned by the elective director. First day report to Fair Haven Community Health Care, 150 Sargent Drive.

Student’s class level: 3rd-5th year

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Care & Psychiatry Clerkship

Course director: Ada Fenick, MD

This Advanced Clinical Elective in Primary Care and Community Health provides the learner with an immersion experience in primary care at a unique, underserved site: San Francisco Free Clinic.

During this month-long rotation supervised by Yale Medical School Alumni Patricia and Richard Gibbs MD and colleagues, students assume significant autonomy in seeing diverse patients. Students with interest in Orthopedics can sometimes accompany Dr. Richard Gibbs to provide orthopedic care to members of the San Francisco Ballet.

This elective is offered to senior students, who are expected to assume full responsibility for their patients, under the supervision of expert Attendings. Typically, students will perform a history and physical exam, formulate a complete assessment, and present the case to the Attending. After discussing the case, the student will perform the wrap-up, e.g., answer questions, agree on a management plan, follow-up, diagnostic tests, and medications. Students will find this an excellent opportunity to refresh and hone clinical ambulatory skills before Internship. Students will receive valuable feedback on their performance which may be suitable for the Dean’s letter.

In this unique setting, students will encounter patients who face significant barriers to care, including cultural, language, and financial. Students will learn to practice culturally competent care.

Students will be offered two special workshops: Teaching Skills and Cultural Diversity. Regarding Teaching Skills, students will participate in a one-day interactive module on teaching techniques, e.g. observation and feedback and small group teaching, provide by the Yale School of Medicine Teaching and Learning Center (Faculty-Janet Hafler EdD). Regarding Cultural Diversity, students will participate in didactic-based and role-play exercises to better understand contextual factors that can impact patent adherence and medical care (Faculty-Esperanza Diaz MD). Students will expand their knowledge about common sources of resilience and challenge among immigrant communities. Acquiring knowledge, skills, and awareness of unique cultural factors among diverse patient populations enhances one’s clinical effectiveness across health care settings. These workshops will be offered during the summer, towards the beginning of the Elective, dates to be determined.

All students are expected to submit 3 HIPAA compliant notes on their patients, maintain a Log, read selected papers, and provide constructive feedback on the Elective.

Clinic Experience at SF Free Clinic: https://youtu.be/EVDwd-G5ltE
San Francisco Free Clinic Website: http://sffc.org/

Length of Rotation: 4 week (maximum-2 students)

Scheduling Restriction(s ): Not offered July to December

Student’s Class Level: 4th or 5th year

Prerequisite(s): Completion of the Medical Approach to the Patient Clerkship (Internal Medicine and Neurology).

Accept Visiting Students: No

This Advanced Clinical Elective in Primary Care and Community Health provides the learner with an immersion experience in primary care at a unique, underserved site: Chinle Health Center.

This month-long rotation supervised by Steve Williams MD and colleagues provides an opportunity to work with Navajo on the reservation in rural, northeast Arizona. Students appreciate working with traditional native American healers in a remote, beautiful landscape, addressing health needs created by poverty and injustice, and learning about career opportunities with the Indian Health Service. To reduce car rental costs, students are encouraged to pair-up with a medical school classmate for this clerkship.

This elective is offered to senior students, who are expected to assume full responsibility for their patients, under the supervision of expert Attendings. Typically, students will perform a history and physical exam, formulate a complete assessment, and present the case to the Attending. After discussing the case, the student will perform the wrap-up, e.g., answer questions, agree on a management plan, follow-up, diagnostic tests, and medications. Students will find this an excellent opportunity to refresh and hone clinical ambulatory skills before Internship. Students will receive valuable feedback on their performance which may be suitable for the Dean’s letter.

In this unique setting, students will encounter patients who face significant barriers to care, including cultural, language, and financial. Students will learn to practice culturally competent care.

Students will be offered two special workshops: Teaching Skills and Cultural Diversity. Regarding Teaching Skills, students will participate in a one-day interactive module on teaching techniques, e.g. observation and feedback and small group teaching, provide by the Yale School of Medicine Teaching and Learning Center (Faculty-Janet Hafler EdD). Regarding Cultural Diversity, students will participate in didactic-based and role-play exercises to better understand contextual factors that can impact patent adherence and medical care (Faculty-Esperanza Diaz MD). Students will expand their knowledge about common sources of resilience and challenge among disadvantaged communities. Acquiring knowledge, skills, and awareness of unique cultural factors among diverse patient populations enhances one’s clinical effectiveness across health care settings. These workshops will be offered during the summer, towards the beginning of the Elective, dates to be determined.

All students are expected to submit 3 HIPAA compliant notes on their patients, maintain a Log, read selected papers, and provide constructive feedback on the Elective. Students are expected to write a reflective paper to be submitted to the Office of International Medical Student Education (OIMSE) within 14 days of the completion of their elective.

For additional information click on: PC and Community Health – CHINLE AZ Site Information.

Length of Rotation: 4 week (maximum-2 students)
Scheduling Restriction(s): N/A
Student’s Class Level: 4th or 5th year
Prerequisite(s): Completion of the Medical Approach to the Patient Clerkship (Internal Medicine and Neurology).

Accept Visiting Students: no

Learning Objectives

This Advanced Clinical Elective in Primary Care and Community Health provides the learner with an experience in primary care at a unique, underserved site: HAVEN, the Yale student-run free clinic which serves predominantly Hispanic, adult uninsured persons. This is an opportunity for students to gain clinical experience and help serve an underserved population in an urban medical site where students will also help teach and supervise students earlier in their training. This elective provides flexibility to students in that there are no formal requirements during the 8 or 15 Saturdays weeks students are assigned the elective.

This elective is offered to senior students, who are expected to assume full responsibility for their patients, under the supervision of Attendings. Typically, students will perform a history and physical exam, formulate a complete assessment, and present the case to the Attending. After discussing the case, the student will perform the wrap-up, e.g., answer questions, agree on a management plan, follow-up, diagnostic tests, and medications. Students will find this an excellent opportunity to refresh and hone clinical ambulatory skills before Internship. Students will receive valuable feedback on their performance which may be suitable for the Dean’s letter.

Students choose 8 or 15 Saturdays to work during the year, flexibly scheduled with oversight by the student leadership at HAVEN. Saturday hours are typically 8-2 pm, beginning with morning meeting, followed by direct patient care, ending with afternoon case presentation and didactic presentation. Students should complete EPIC notes by the end of the day. HAVEN offers unique opportunities for peer teaching, clinical and small group didactic workshops, practicing Medical Spanish, and learning important skills in cultural competence.

Students will be offered a brief curriculum that at this time includes two special workshops: Teaching Skills and Cultural Diversity. Regarding Teaching Skills, students will participate in a one-day interactive module on teaching techniques, e.g. observation and feedback and small group teaching, provide by the Yale School of Medicine Teaching and Learning Center (Faculty-Janet Hafler EdD). Regarding Cultural Diversity, students will participate in didactic-based and role-play exercises to better understand contextual factors that can impact patient adherence and medical care (Faculty-Esperanza Diaz MD). Students will expand their knowledge about common sources of resilience and challenge among immigrant communities. Acquiring knowledge, skills, and awareness of unique cultural factors among diverse patient populations enhances one’s clinical effectiveness across health care settings. These two workshops will be held during the summer and are highly encouraged but optional.

Bilingual students (Spanish/English) rotating at HAVEN can also choose to participate in the Behavioral Health program in which they receive supervision by on-site faculty from the Department of Psychiatry and participate in multidisciplinary peer consultation meetings. All students are encouraged to take advantage of existing didactic opportunities in Medical Spanish.

All students are expected to submit 3 HIPAA compliant notes on their patients, maintain a Log, read selected papers, and provide constructive feedback on the Elective. The director will review notes and logs at the midpoint and the end. Students are required to have feedback forms filled out by supervising Attendings that they will turn into the executive directors at HAVEN and subsequently to the course director before mid-elective feedback. Students will meet with the course director halfway through the elective (either 4 or 8 sessions) for feedback and to discuss their experience.

Length of Rotation: (2 week experience 8 Saturdays) or (4 week experience 15 Saturdays) (maximum-15 students)
Scheduling Restriction(s): N/A
Student’s Class Level: 4th or 5th year
Prerequisite(s): Completion of the Medical Approach to the Patient Clerkship (Internal Medicine and Neurology).

Accept Visiting Students: no

Learning Objectives

HAVEN Preference Form Please submit form to the HAVEN Elective Coordinator