VA Curriculum

Students rotating at the VA have an extra educational curriculum.  This will require a few extra meetings, but your time will be well spent.  It is best for you to decide on mutually convenient times so the attending does not have to do four separate sessions.

1. Dr. Raicht , the Chief of Service at the VA, likes to meet with all of the medical students on Fridays around 2pm. Please confirm with his secretary on the 11th floor exactly when and where to meet him; usually it is in his office.

2. Dr. Sedlis and Dr. Lorin are the cardiac cath attendings at the VA.  Both are excellent teachers. They LOVE students. You don't need to make an appointment, just pop up to the 12th floor and ask when would be a good time to go over some interesting caths. This is a very rewarding experience.

3. Dr. Muriel May is a non-invasive cardiologist who does stress tests and echocardiograms. Her number is 6319 and she is also located on the 12th floor. It's best to make an appointment with her because she has a small room. Ask her if all 4 of you can come, or if it's better to split up into 2 groups.

4. Dr. David Goldfarb runs the hemodialysis unit at the VA. He gives you a little intro to dialysis patients. His number is 3877. Alternatively, you can e-mail him at david.goldfarb@med.va.gov

5. Lastly, I need you to find an hour when everyone is available to meet with Dr. Spritz who is an M.D. and a J.D. (yes, from the Spritz team) to go over an ethical dilemma, like a DNR issue or competency, for example.  Please decide amongst yourselves who will present the ethical problem. The presentation is more informal than those you give to your teaching attendings.

Any problems or questions, feel free to contact me.