MDE 8030: BRIDGE Clinic Longitudinal Elective

Drs. Eduardo Gonzalez and Lucy Guerra

This longitudinal elective would reinforce and teach the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are needed to direct a multidisciplinary healthcare clinic. Students will be required to lead and attend monthly BRIDGE clinic meetings, meet with medical advisors regularly, attend and lead BRIDGE clinics over the year, develop a presentation/poster to present at a national meeting, organize and coordinate other specialties and organizations with in BRIDGE. In all, it is expected that each student will have completed a minimum of 150 hours over the academic year. The course is longitudinal, as the responsibilities of these students will continue throughout the academic year.

Objectives

1. Develop skills to properly manage a multidisciplinary healthcare clinic
2. To form and nurture professional relationships with Moffitt, Hillsborough Health Department, Quest Diagnostics, Security Personnel, Morsani
3. Understand the Business/Finance aspect of Medicine through collaboration with Dr. Marshall and the Business Scholarly Concentration
4. Update and renew documents for Clinic Operations including the constitution, employee contracts, fundraising documents, and banking/trust fund documents
5. Provide access to healthcare for patients of many different backgrounds with limited access
6. Collaborate effectively with Social Work, Public Health, Physical Therapy, Nursing, Pharmacy, and the College of Medicine to provide optimum care and services in a healthcare setting
7. Integrate meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, encourage lifelong civic engagement, and strengthen communities for the common good

Evaluation

By the end of the elective, students should feel competent managing a multidisciplinary healthcare clinic. They will understand how to collaborate with various organizations and groups and have a sense of the business and financial needs of such a clinic. Their progress will be assessed by direct observation by the faculty medical directors, and successful completion of assigned responsibilities and projects which will include poster/presentation that will be presented at a national meeting.

Only students elected to be the student medical directors for BRIDGE will be eligible for this elective. Students must agree to hour requirements and need to inform concurrent senior course directors of their involvement in this longitudinal course. Students should notify and obtain permission from Drs. Guerra or Gonzalez prior to scheduling.