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Course Title: NYU Free Clinic
Clinic Preceptor: Joseph Cavanaugh, M.D.

Course Code:  21-01

Telephone: (917) 544-0735

Prerequisites: Medicine

Description:
The medical student will participate in the operation of NYU's New York City Free Clinic at the Institute for Family Health. Responsibilities will include working with preceptors to provide medical care for uninsured patients, coordinating referral services as necessary and educating patients about their medical problems. Emphasis will be placed on honing the skills of taking a culturally sensitive medical history, sharpening physical-exam acumen, mastering the patient presentation, and broadening the differential diagnosis. Additionally, the importance of coordinating multidisciplinary care will be stressed; students will learn to arrange social services that range from job-training programs for unemployed patients to procuring medications for patients who can not afford them. For more information, see www.med.nyu.edu/nycfreeclinic

Objectives:
The student will learn to provide care for the patient in a multidisciplinary, culturally sensitive medical environment with a focus on continuity of care. By rotating through multiple duties over the course of the elective, students will learn the basics of running a clinic, from the registration and triage of the patient to the formulation and implementation of the medical plan. Students will have follow-up with patients over the course of their elective.

Key Responsibilities:

1. The student will be required to attend the clinic every other Saturday from 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM during the rotation block.
2. Students will attend a two-hour training session prior to the beginning of the elective.
3. Students will rotate through two or more stations at the clinic on a bi-weekly basis. These stations include:
   1. Medical team
   2. Triage
   3. Lab-reporting and lab transport
   4. Referrals reporting and referrals scheduling
   5. Registration
   6. Health Education

Didactics
Thirty-minute conferences will be held at the beginning of each clinic. Topics will range broadly, focusing on issues central to primary care medicine including the following: how to treat common medical problems; how to perform a thorough and effective medical history; how to formulate an efficient and complete patient presentation; how to help your patient apply for Medicare, Medicaid and/or the Child Health Insurance Program.

Method of Evaluation:
Students will be evaluated by attending physicians assigned to work with the students during their elective rotation.

Scheduling Information:
Months offered: By arrangement with preceptor
Report to: Sidney Hillman Health Center, 16 East 16th Street.
Students per period: 32
Duration: 16 or 17 weeks
Elective Credit = 2 weeks

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