MEL 8334: Acting Medicine Internship LVHN 15-16

Students will function as acting interns on the general ward teams at Lehigh Valley Cedar Crest Hospital. They will be given direct patient care clinical duties and responsibilities usually assigned to the first year house officer. The medical team residents and attending will closely supervise these clinical responsibilities. The level of clinical responsibilities will be distinctly above that of a third year clerkship rotation in internal medicine. Participating students will have an in depth autonomous inpatient experience so they may confidently assume such care in their PGY1 year regardless of their career choice. Mandatory attendance, excluding patient emergencies, is expected at morning report, noon conference, and grand rounds. Students are also encouraged to participate in the monthly journal club and the M&M conferences.

 Objectives

1. Introduce the student to hospital based care and management.
2. Student will learn how to perform adequate and thorough history and physical examinations.
3. Write appropriate progress notes and all orders for therapeutic and diagnostic intervention with appropriate counter signature.
4. Participate on night call every fifth night as scheduled with the assigned team.
5. Learn and participate in internal medicine procedures including: paracentesis, thoracentesis, lumbar puncture, central line placement
6. Transition of patients from the Medical Intensive Care Unit.
7. Communicate inpatient management and outcomes with patient’s primary care physician.
8. Participate and learn appropriate discharge planning, utilization of system based care in the management of their patients and how to do discharge summaries.
9. Learn to interpret EKG’s, radiographic studies, PFT’s and appropriate lab diagnostic studies.