Human Dimensions of Health Care

Catalog description

Field experience in five or more medical settings; complementary exposure to the scientific literature; weekly discussions. SC 476 Human Dimensions of Health Care (3) This course, delivered jointly by Penn State and the local medical community, is designed to provide field experience for students with plans for a future in the health professions. The course is structured around rotations through multiple no less than five medical settings, which may include Community Medicine, Dentistry, Emergency Room, Family Medicine, Hospice Care, Oncology, Optometry, Palliative Care, Pediatrics, Physical Therapy, Senior Services, Wound Care, and other specialties. The first four weeks consist of an introduction and orientation to the goals each setting. The purpose of these sessions is to acquaint the students with the requirements of the course as well as expectations for the on-site rotations. During this time, the students become familiar with the health care issues associated with each setting through literature specific to particular medical settings. At the end of these sessions the students write a course plan, in which they review the major issues common to each setting, and project how they expect to gain and how they expect to contribute in each setting. During the next nine weeks, the students rotate through the medical settings, spending two afternoons per week in rotation. Students are scheduled to assignments with one of the medical settings for the afternoon. At these times the students are under direct supervision of the setting's staff. Where feasible, students may also sit in on physicians' staff meetings, attend lectures, or receive other forms of special instruction provided by medical staff. All students will maintain a logbook of activities during the rotations. Weekly meetings on campus are devoted to reports of experiences by each of the students, discussions based on the questions developed during the orientation period, and resolution of issues which may arise. In this way, students assigned to each rotation inform those students who will later enter that setting.