Note: K, S, and A, with corresponding numbers in parentheses (e.g., K1, S2, A4), refer to Weill Cornell Medical College’s Educational Objectives of the program leading to the MD degree found at http://weill.cornell.edu/education/curriculum/edu_obj.html.

By the end of the course, the student should be able to:

Knowledge:


1. K6, K8, K10, S5 Identify the major components of the mental status examination: general appearance; mood and affect; speech; cognition, including attention, memory, language, higher integrative functioning, thought process and content; and perception.


2. K5, K6, K7 Explain how each of the major components of the mental status examination is elicited historically and clinically tested and what each tells about normal or abnormal mental function.


3. K2, K6, K7, K8, S5 Explain how each of the major components of the mental status examination is elicited historically and clinically tested and what each tells about normal or abnormal mental function.


4. K2, K6, K7, K8, S5 List the range of normal manifestations of each of these mental status components, as well as the common types of abnormalities.


5. S4 Explain the basic principles of medical interviewing, including using structured and unstructured approaches to the interview, and observing nonverbal information to gather information about a patient.


6. K4, K6, K7, S4 Discuss how to to ask important questions of patients with common chief complaints (eg. fever, rash, ear pain, hearing loss, chest pain, syncope, shortness of breath, cough, breast problems, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dysuria, hematuria, back pain, and lymphadenopathy).


7. K6, K7, S4 Explain the process of conducting a physical examination to identify normal and disease states for various organs and organ systems (e.g., ophthalmologic, ear-nose- throat, pulmonary, cardiovascular, abdominal, breast, musculoskeletal, genito-urinary, rectal, lymphatic, and skin) and identify variations that should be considered when examining an elderly patient.


8. K10, S12 Discuss, from the patient’s perspective, what it is like to be interviewed about mental symptoms and problems.


9. K3 Explain the effect of nutritional management on medical diseases (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and coronary artery disease).


10. K3, K8 Discuss how to assess and treat malnutrition.


11. K3, K8 Compare and contrast methods used to treat overweight and obese individuals, including fad diets, pharmacology, and bariatric surgery.


12. K12 Explain the historical origins of the U.S. health care system, focusing on the organization, delivery, and financing of health care.


13. K12 Identify the major issues of health care reform, including but not limited to quality assurance, health care disparities, and cost management, which are the focus of the current health care debate, and discuss the alternatives for managing these issues.


14. K3, K12 Discuss how various public health and community services manage issues in hospital health and safety, addictive diseases, population and community medicine, the environment, screening and prevention, and institutional care.


15. K9, K10, K11 Discuss basic issues in clinical ethics and various approaches to manage those issues (e.g., ethics in pediatrics, reproductive medicine, clinical research, informed consent, and end-of-life decisions).


16. K11 Describe the major principles underlying the protection of human subjects in research.


Skills:


17. S4, S5 Demonstrate a systematic, organized, and strategic approach to evaluating patients with mental disturbances (i.e.., what strategies are best in what situations).


18. S4, S5 Conduct a complete patient history and physical examination.


19. S4 Apply the basic principles of interviewing a patient.


20. S2, S3, S10, S11 Identify, research, and present on pertinent ethical issues common in medical practice (e.g., informed consent, conflict of interest, end-of-life decision-making).


Attitudes:


21. A1, A2, A3, A4 Empathize with what it is like for a patient to be interviewed about mental problems.


22. A6 Demonstrate a professional identity and demeanor, including punctuality; respect for patients and colleagues; reliability; and accountability in the performance of duties.


23. A1, A2, A3, A4 Demonstrate a patient-centered approach to the care of the patient.


24. A8 Recognize and accept ambiguity and uncertainty in clinical situations and medical decision-making.


25. A3 Respect patients’ privacy, confidentiality, dignity, beliefs, and family, cultural or religious values.

How Learning Objectives are Assessed
This course uses a variety of methods to assess student achievement of course learning objectives that include both formative and summative evaluation: 1) direct observation of student performance in role-playing exercises and participating in various small group discussions, including review of reading assignments; 2) direct observation at physical diagnosis sessions; 3) patient write-ups; 4) written examination on some of the basic principles of physical diagnosis; 5) an OSCE using a standardized patient to practice taking a patient history and physical; using male and female teaching assistants to practice conducting a genital and rectal examination; 6) practical examination assessing ability to interview and examine a patient and present findings; 7) write-ups on ethical cases; 8) an 8-10 page paper exploring a clinical ethics issue of potential relevance for the student during training or practicing of medicine; 9) completion of the CITI Course on the Protection of Human Research Subjects, a web-based training program; and 10) an 8-10-page paper exploring in depth a public health topic of interest (e.g., a critical review or an original historical paper). Please refer to the course syllabus for more specific details on grading.