Families of children with special needs offer special challenges for the primary care physician. The variety of developmental disabilities and chronic illnesses, the rapid pace of research, and the array of stresses on these families may make care time consuming and frustrating. Well-developed family support networks complement the care offered by physicians. These networks offer coping support for families, education and service availability information, advocacy training, and support for siblings of children with special needs.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1990

Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics in primary care: an elective for fourth-year medical students.

A 1-month elective course in clinical pharmacology in primary care has been developed and is offered six times a year for fourth-year medical students. The major course objective is to teach the student to apply the principles of rational therapeutics in the routine practice of primary care. The faculty includes clinical pharmacists and primary care physicians from the Department of Family Medicine. Two students each month rotate through a combined didactic and experiential curriculum oriented toward the rational selection and monitoring of drugs in inpatient and outpatient settings. Students interact daily with faculty members and have ample opportunity to evaluate drug therapy regimens and assist in designing new therapeutic strategies. Students are evaluated on their performance in conferences, written consultations, and oral case challenges. Evaluations by students indicate that this elective is a valuable educational experience.

Curriculum↗

PubMed1990

Training residents to develop effective relationships with preceptors.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Faculty↗

PubMed1989

The chronically ill child and recurring family grief.

Chronically ill children and their families are increasingly seen in health care practices as the incidence of infant mortality and formerly fatal childhood diseases has decreased. These children present special challenges to the physician's perceived role as healer. Unlike the sequenced predictable stages of grief that families go through in facing terminal illness, the grief experienced by parents of the chronically ill is recurrent and cyclical. The physician who understands and can anticipate the causes and nature of this grief will be subject to less frustration in treating these children and their families and will be able to offer them more effective care.

Child↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Short-term training in geriatrics: an alternative for family medicine?

BACKGROUND: Family medicine has responded to the need for training in geriatrics by creating geriatric fellowships and by including geriatric education in residency and medical school curricula. Fellowships, in particular, require extensive time commitment by participating physicians. METHODS: We developed a 1-month geriatric training experience for academic family physicians. We surveyed previous participants in this short course to determine their subsequent level of activity in geriatrics, whether they had become certified in geriatrics, and other information about their academic experience in geriatrics. RESULTS: Eighty-one percent of graduates of this 1-month course had passed the geriatrics certification examination, compared to only 56% nationally. Graduates of the program were active as geriatric program directors and teachers of geriatrics, but there was limited activity in research or other scholarly activities related to geriatrics. CONCLUSION: Intensive short-term training in geriatrics meets some but not all of the needs for academic competency and productivity in geriatrics.

Education, Medical, Continuing↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Strategic planning in academic medicine: a departmental case study analysis.

Family medicine departments face a variety of external and internal pressures that make astute planning imperative. A systematic planning process produces measurable outcomes, timetables to evaluate results, and assignments for individual responsibility. Strategic planning is discussed as it occurred during a year-long planning process in a family medicine department. Through the use of an external consultant and through the efforts of the department's division directors, a set of plans were written and approved for the residency program, clinical services, predoctoral education, geriatric education, research and development section, and the administration of the department. The consultation and strategic planning procedure produced a candid analysis of the department's strengths and growth needs, and specified the contributions that will be needed by all faculty to achieve the organization's goals.

Consultants↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effective transitions for families: life beyond the hospital.

The numbers of innovative inhospital programs for children are growing. Family-focused activities can help families cope better with the hospital experience. Yet, to promote optimal healing, health care providers must recognize that a family's life goes on after the hospital stay. Many stresses make life difficult for families. Most families are resilient, but many can benefit from help in managing the transition from hospital to home. Valuing the small things children do, connecting with other families, locating community resources, understanding the short and long term needs of the child are some of the critical transitions for families.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Components of effective faculty orientation.

A number of factors make effective faculty orientation even more important for family medicine. Surveys indicate that the small number of available new faculty tends to be young and relatively inexperienced in academic medicine and that many go directly from residency training into faculty positions. Once in these roles, new faculty may find few senior colleagues to serve as experienced guides. Reports show that many department chairs plan to step down soon and may not be available as role models. The components of effective orientation are explained, along with their relationship to professional success. Recommendations are made for family medicine programs.

Faculty, Medical↗