Preceptor: Jeffrey Lorin, M.D.
Course Code: 04-07
Telephone: (212) 686-7500 Ext.3935

Prerequisite: Medicine Clerkship

Description

The student has the opportunity to participate in all the activities of a busy cardiac referral center including observing diagnostic and interventional catheterization procedures, observing non-invasive studies (echocardiography, cardiac MR and CT and stress testing) and consulting on inpatients and outpatients (including pre and post operative cardiac surgery patients) under the supervision of a cardiology fellow. The New York VA is the regional VA referral center for cardiac surgery and coronary intervention and there are a large number of patients with advanced and complex cardiac disorders on the service at all times.

Objectives of the Elective

The student will learn how common and important cardiac conditions are diagnosed and treated in adults. The student will become familiar with the pathophysiology of coronary and valvular heart disease and will learn about current medical, interventional and surgical therapies for these conditions.

Key Responsibilities of the student while on Elective

1. The student will meet with the cardiology fellow every morning and will either be assigned patients to see in consultation or will be assigned to the non-invasive laboratory or to the cardiac cath lab for that day.
2. Patients seen in consultation will be presented to the cardiology fellow.
3. In the non-invasive lab the student will be expected to attend the readings of all studies with the attending physician, and will also be expected to observe the performance of at least one echo or stress test per day.
4. In the cath lab, the student will be expected to observe cases and review the findings with the cardiology fellow and attending.
5. The student is expected to attend the Wednesday 8AM combined cardiology/cardiac surgery conference and may be called upon to present cases to the cardiac surgeons.
6. The student is expected to read the chapters on cardiology in Harrison's textbook of Medicine or a similar text.

Didactic Program

The elective is designed to allow for one on one teaching by faculty members, and there are no specific lectures or conferences in addition to the reading sessions with the attendings. The student is welcome to accompany the cardiology fellow to all the cardiology section didactic conferences including Thursday morning case conference, Friday morning cardiology grand rounds and Friday afternoon cardiology journal club.

Method of Evaluation

This will be a pass/fail elective. For satisfactory completion of this elective the student is required to be present on at least three quarters of the teaching days.

Scheduling Information

Months Offered: 4-week rotation: All Year. 2-week rotation: 2 weeks in August and October

Report to: 8AM VA Catheterization Lab 12W

Students per period: 2

Duration: Two or Four weeks