FQHC – South Bend is a required rotation in the Care of the Underserved curriculum and can be taken as an elective in any curriculum.
At the completion of this rotation
The resident will:
- have an understanding of how to effectively care for underserved patients.
- have knowledge and skills needed to practice medicine in an underserved setting.
- have an awareness of the role of medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder.
- identify common barriers to care for patients and learn ways to navigate and overcome those barriers in a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC).
Objectives
At the completion of this rotation, the resident will have demonstrated to the satisfaction of the preceptor:
- the ability to perform an appropriate history and physical examination in an outpatient setting and to present these findings to another physician in an appropriate manner (PC).
- the ability to interpret appropriate data related to underserved medicine and prioritize cost-effective diagnostic testing, utilization of multidisciplinary resources, and consultations that will change the management of undifferentiated illness (PC).
- an awareness of psychosocial factors and other determinants of health amidst developing and implementing comprehensive plans to maintain and promote health (PC).
- reflective practices that facilitate the creation of an independent learning plan for personal growth and professional development (PBLI).
- compassion, respect and integrity; responsiveness to the needs of patients and society; accountability to patients, society and the profession; a commitment to excellence and ongoing professional development (P).
- sensitivity and responsiveness to a patient’s culture, age, gender and disabilities, recognizing personal biases and attempting to proactively minimize communication barriers (ICS).
- the ability to communicate effectively about patient care, learner responsibilities, and feedback with other health professionals as part of a healthcare team (ICS).
- the ability to make appropriate decisions to assure high-quality care in a cost-effective manner, recognizing the opportunities to advance this approach to care through advocacy efforts (SBP).
Implementation
Residents in the Care of the Underserved Track will have early exposure to a care context that is tailored to meeting the needs of underserved patients in their intern year. During this rotation, residents will have extensive opportunities to care for patients with the typical broad range of concerns addressed in any primary care clinic. Additionally, residents will have significant exposure to patients receiving buprenorphine and naltrexone for their opioid use disorder (OUD). They will also experience primary care clinicians managing the infectious diseases that can often occur in tandem with substance use disorder (SUD). Specifically, at this clinic, the family medicine physicians are often the primary clinicians managing their patient’s hepatitis C and HIV infections. In addition, several of the physician preceptors at this site of care are graduates of Memorial Family Medicine Residency. In this rotation, residents will see the multitude of ways in which a strong broad-spectrum training can be leveraged into maximizing the care of medically and socially complex patients in the outpatient setting through the experiential learning, role modeling, and one-on-one teaching they receive.
Evaluation
The preceptor will complete an evaluation form at the end of the rotation assessing the resident’s success in meeting the rotation objectives as outlined in this curriculum. Residents will specifically be evaluated on the following ACGME Milestones:
- PC-1: Demonstrates Care of the Acutely Ill Patient
- PC-2: Demonstrates Care of the Patient with Chronic Illness
- PC-4: Demonstrates Ongoing Care of Patients with Undifferentiated Signs, Symptoms or Health Concerns
- PBLI-2: Demonstrates Reflective Practice and Commitment to Personal Growth
- PROF-1: Demonstrates Professional Behavior and Ethical Principles
- ICS-1: Demonstrates Effective Patient- and Family-Centered Communication
- SBP-4: Shows an Interest in Advocacy for Patients/Health System
