Master and Longitudinal Course Update
Genes and Development Course
Genes and Development continues with the end of the genetics portion of the course. Hematology will start with an introduction to the immune system and the development of blood cells. The first patient session occurs on Wednesday, October 18th at 8:00 am with a sickle cell patient panel. Remember this has a dress code and mandatory attendance. Weekly biochemistry workshops will continue, and a reminder that completing the biochemistry workshop presentations is part of the requirements for passing the course. The self-assessment will open on Friday, October 20th and a Simulation Session is scheduled for Tuesday, October 24th.
Anatomy Course
The Anatomy course starts on Friday, October 13th with an introduction to the course.
Professional Responsibility Course
Professional Responsibility continues Wednesday afternoons with sessions on climate change and artificial intelligence. The self-assessment will open on Wednesday, October 11th.
Scientific Inquiry
The Scientific Inquiry course continues with the first workshops discussing core tenets of mentored research on Monday, October 23rd.
Preclerkship Questions
If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions about the Preclerkship curriculum, please contact the Preclerkship Co-Directors, Dr. Pete Takizawa and Dr. Michael DiGiovanna, or the Manager of the Preclerkship period, Marion Miller.
Office Hours
Both the Genes and Development and Professional Responsibility courses are offering office hours for students wishing to discuss or enhance their understanding of information delivered in lectures and workshops.
- Professional Responsibility course office hours -
Office hours will be available to review course or workshop content on Wednesdays, from 12:00 to 1:00 pm. To attend office hours, please contact Dr. David Rosenthal. Office hours will be held in person or on Zoom depending on Dr. Rosenthal’s clinical schedule. Dr. Karen Jubanyik is also available for office hours. Please contact her at Dr. Karen Jubanyik to schedule a time. - Biochemistry workshops -
Tuesday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30 pm, Dr. Alexia Belperron will hold Zoom office hours for students wishing to discuss the material covered in the Biochemistry workshops. The Zoom meeting ID is 928 0884 1732. Sessions will be held on October 10th, 24th and November 7th. - Genes and Development course office hours for Genetics content -
Dr. Sabrina Nuñez will hold office hours covering genetics immediately following classes on October 6th at 12:00 pm, which is the day that the genetics content of the course concludes. - Genes and Development course office hours for Hematology content and workshops- Dr. Layla Van Doren will hold office hours on Thursdays from 2:30 to 3:30 during the weeks that the hematology content is being conducted. Please email Dr. Van Doren ahead of time by Thursday morning if you would like to meet with her, which may be by Zoom or in person at her office.
- Genes and Development course office hours for Oncology content -Dr. Michael DiGiovanna will hold office hours to cover oncology content in the second half of the course. Dates and times TBA.
Clinical Skills Course - MS1s
At this point, you’ve covered most of the basics related to the medical interview. You’ve learned the 5-step beginning, the “clinician-centered” middle of the interview, and the importance of discussing more sensitive content as part of the social history. In the weeks to come, you will continue to practice these skills as you work with upper-level students (October 12th, 19th, and 26th). On October 19th, in addition to small-group interview practice, you will attend a large-group session where you’ll learn about ending the visit, including methods to assess that the patient has understood what you are trying to communicate. After the session on October 26th, you will submit a write-up to an upper-level student within 24 hours. Look out for details in a forthcoming email and find information about the medical write up posted to BlueDogs on October 26th.
As you practice your skills related to medical interviewing, consider the importance of the words we use as we interact with and discuss patients. YSM is a community where inclusion and belonging are priorities. The words that we use are important and can help achieve these goals. The Inclusive Language Initiative Glossary was created to promote conversation and growth around words used in educational, research, and clinical settings.
As you recently heard in Dr. Joseph Donroe’s Introduction to the Physical Exam, consider investing in your own PE equipment. All students are required to have their own stethoscopes, penlights, and reflex hammers. While the practice rooms in Harkness are equipped with otoscopes, ophthalmoscopes, and blood pressure cuffs for your use, purchasing your own equipment will expand your opportunities to practice. High quality equipment lasts for decades.
To order your PE equipment, please go to www.mkamed.com. Click on Student Order Form and enter the Yale custom code: 1031ysom. The vendor’s contact information is on the website if you have any questions. The order deadline date is October 13th for an October 26th delivery in ESH 20 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm.
The vendor will be on campus during this time so you can demo equipment before purchasing. She will also have equipment on hand for "cash and carry". The deadline for orders after October 13th is October 31st with a November delivery (delivery details to be determined).
Remember to form your PE groups by October 16th. The process for doing this was outlined in Tracy Yale’s email from September 29th. Briefly, Select 1 person in your group to enter the names using this survey link PE Small Group Survey. Please make sure your name is only entered one time in the survey. If you want us to place you in a group, note that in the survey. See email from Tracy Yale on September 29th for more details.
In Tracy’s email September 29th she also shared a discount code for those wishing to order Bates’ Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking, 13th edition. This code can be used at shop.LWW.com and is: WZP45PFT
If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions about the CS curriculum please contact Dr. Jaideep Talwalkar or Tracy Yale or any of your CS faculty.
Interprofessional Longitudinal Clinical Experience (ILCE)
As the ILCE course is well underway, we hope you have had several productive and enjoyable meetings with your clinical tutors at the various clinical sites. There are no clinical experiences this week (October 2nd and 6th) as you will be doing the Oral Presentation workshop. All materials, including group assignments, have been distributed and there is pre-work that MUST be done before you participate in the workshop.
Looking ahead, the “Taking a Substance Use History” small group workshop is coming up on October 27th, with pre-work distributed about 10 days prior.
Please feel free to reach out to our coordinator, Elizabeth "Beth" Cooper with any administrative questions or to the course director, Dr. Alina Tsyrulnik.
Coaching Corner
MS1 students have been gradually oriented to the new Longitudinal Coaching Program and the role of the coaches during orientation, iPro, and in a lunch session on September 6th that focused on "Learning How to Learn" with Andrea Amato, MS, and Thilan Wijesekera, MD. Those wanting additional information on the Coaching program can go here.
All coaches and students have now completed their first round of meetings in which they got to know each other, reviewed expectations for the student-coach relationship, reviewed the new YSM EPO milestones, and know how they will use self and other assessment data to track progress and make personalized learning plans. All reports indicate that the students and coaches are enjoying these opportunities to build relationships.
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to reach out to the Coaching program manager, Chelsea Wallace, or the Coaching Program Director, Dr. Dana Dunne.