IGC - Curriculum

INTERDISCIPLINARY GENERALIST CURRICULUM (IGC) PROGRAM 2001/2002

IGC Preceptorship I: IDC 5211 (M1 Class, Fall Semester 2002)
IGC Preceptorship II: IDC 5421 (M1 Class, Winter Semester 2003)

IGC Preceptorship III: IDC 6512 (M2 Class, Fall Semester 2002)
IGC Preceptorship IV: IDC 6722 (M2 Class, Winter Semester 2003)

I. IGC Physician Mentor Program:

General Description:

The IGC Physician Mentor Program is one of three components of the overall IGC Program at NSU-COM. The premise of the Physician Mentor Program is that exposure to professional role models is a significant determinant of medical students' career choices. The program therefore exposes medical students to primary care clinical settings from the very beginning of their matriculation with the long-term goal of increasing the number of graduates who will pursue careers in Family Medicine, General Internal Medicine and General Pediatrics. Students are placed with Physician Mentors, either one or two students at a time, for one year intervals. They may elect to switch mentors every semester or have a continuous mentor experience which builds over two years. In addition to providing a broad exposure to the role of a primary care physician, students learn how to integrate information from the patient interview and physical examination into an assessment and treatment plan. The Physician Mentor provides the student with the opportunity to perform patient histories and physical examinations within the limits of the student's ability, and educates the student by providing timely feedback and engaging in discussions and explanations of his/her medical decision-making.

Network of Physician Mentors:

There are approximately 150 primary care Physician Mentors who teach first and/or second-year medical students in their private offices. This network of preceptors is comprised of physicians in the three primary care disciplines who are located throughout the tri-county area.

Duration of Clinic Sessions:

M1 Students: 13 sessions/year x 4 hours/session (i.e., 1:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M.) = 52 hours/year.

M2 Students: 22 sessions/year x 4 hours/session (i.e., 1:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M.) = 88 hours/year.

Mentor Program Goals and Objectives

II. IGC Managed Care Program

General Description:

This program teaches students to recognize the various types and components of integrated health care delivery systems and to begin to understand the specific challenges and opportunities that face physicians who are practicing in managed care environments. The IGC Program has developed and implemented unique training partnerships with three managed care organizations (MCOs) to provide non-clinical teaching for second-year students. Students learn how a managed care institution operates, which is likely to help them later in deciding how best to handle their patients and how to work within any private or public managed care system. During this current 2001/2002 academic year, over 220 medical students are assigned to a managed care organization or affiliated site for two sessions per year. During these sessions, students rotate either individually or in small groups through various departments or experiences (e.g., medical operations, utilization management, quality management/ improvement, case/disease management, physician committee meetings, provider relations, group seminars, etc.). The learning experience is uniquely structured for each MCO depending on their operational dynamics, departmental composition, and the organization's philosophy.

Managed Care Goals and Objectives

III. College of Osteopathic Medicine in Community Service (COM²Serve) Program

General Description:

Second-year students rotate for a minimum of 2 four-hour sessions per academic year at COM²Serve partner organizations in order to fulfill the community service component of their IGC Preceptorship Course. These COM²2Serve sessions are typically scheduled during the opposite semester from the managed care sessions. Through the COM²2Serve Program, medical students are involved in service learning with community health centers, migrant farmworker clinics, foundation-sponsored free clinics and other subsidized community clinics, as well as with homeless shelters, public health departments, and other community-based organizations. The COM²Serve partner organizations provide health care and other needed services to medically underserved, minority, and at-risk populations. Regular COM²Serve sessions can be substituted with participation in NSU-COM or other approved medical missions (e.g., Guatemala, Jamaica).

Duration of COM²Serve Sessions:

M2 Students: 2 sessions/year x 4 hours/session = 8 hours/year (at COM²Serve sites)