Family Medicine Clerkship
last authored: Oct 2009, David LaPierre
Content and Competencies
- health across
the years - skills
& procedures - clinical
presentations - conditions
& diseases - family medicine & the
health care system - patient
contexts
Health Across the Years
Students should be able to promote health and prevent disease across all ages for both genders, and should be aware of local/national guidelines:
Obstetrics and Pediatrics Well-person Visits Health Promotion |
Screening for Specific Concerns
Specific Care
Patient Education
|
Skills and Procedures
Students should be able to accurately perform the following clinical evaluations, communicate effectively, and interpret common investigations:
History and Physical Exam |
procedures
investigations research
|
Clinical Presentations
Students should be able to clinically evaluate the following clinical presentations, generate a differential diagnosis (including common and dangerous conditions), and derive investigation and management plans:
cardiovascular respiratory orthopedics
head and neck |
gastrointestinal
reproductive genitourinary |
neurology other
|
It is important to ensure common local/national symptoms are highlighted, as described below
Conditions and Diseases
Students should be able to screen for, diagnose, and cure/manage the following conditions and diseases, with an emphasis on chronic illnesses:
cardiovascular
respiratory
|
gastrointestinal reproductive
genitourinary pediatrics |
neurology mind and being other |
Family Medicine and the Health Care System
Students should be able to effectively: |
Students should be able to describe: |
Patient Contexts
Students should be able to identify health challenges and solutions regarding:
- family and community dynamics
- poverty/low socio-economic status
- low literacy/education
- unemployment
- lack of family/friend supports
- inadequate transportation
- language and culture barriers
- rural location and poor access to health care
Cases and Questions
- cases
- questions
Cases
Questions
About Family Medicine
Family medicine is one of the cornerstones of a health care system. Providing primary care and public health, family physicians and the team of health care providers working alongside them carry a tremendous responsibility for health.
The College of Family Physicans of Canada describes the four principles of family medicine as:
- the family physician is a skilled clinician
- family medicine is community-based
- the family physician is a resource to a defined practice population
- the doctor-patient relationship is central to the role of the family physician
The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine describes the five principles of family medicine as:
- biopsychosocial model
- comprehensive care
- continuity of care
- contextual care
- coordination/complexity of care
While different family physicians have unique interests and accordingly tailored practices, many provide care from pregnancy to palliative care. It is important to firmly grasp the core content and skills required to meet such diverse health needs, but it is equally important to be able to identify the limits of a family physician's expertise and to know when to enlist the help of other expert colleagues.
Questions and scenarios can be used to assess knowledge.
Additional Resources
- CFPC Four Principles of Family Medicine
- Society for Teachers of Family Medicine Clerkship Curriculum
- Canadian College of Family Physicians (CFPC) - Rethinking Undergraduate Medical Education - A View from Family Medicine (April 2008) (pdf)
- University of Ottawa Top 10 Diagnosis in Primary Care (pdf)
- Donnre-Banzhoff N, Kunz R, Rosser W 2001. Studies of Symptoms in Primary Care. Family Practice. 18(1):33-38.
http://www.uwo.ca/fammed/csfm/cboll.htm
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