Inpatient/Outpatient US Clinical Experience in Gastroenterology in Orlando

What you will do:

This is an inpatient and outpatient experience during which you will be under the supervision of a board-certified gastroenterologist. The preceptor has been teaching U.S. medical students and international medical students and graduates for many years. The physician holds hospital and faculty appointments at HCA Florida Healthcare and University of Central Florida College of Medicine.

This will be an excellent opportunity to learn how to evaluate patients presenting to the clinic with a wide range of gastrointestinal complaints and conditions. Rotators will encounter patients with dysphagia, odynophagia, dyspepsia, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation. The initial focus will be on identifying features in the clinical presentation that are worrisome and may indicate a serious underlying condition. Learners will be able to hone their skills in taking histories, developing differential diagnoses, and formulating assessments and plans.

On most days, rotators will accompany the attending to the hospital where there will be opportunities to evaluate patients with acute problems, including abdominal pain and GI bleeding. Exposure to these problems in the hospital setting will help prepare you to evaluate and manage these types of patients as a resident.

Rotators will also observe procedures in gastroenterology, including upper and lower endoscopy, and learn about their indications and contraindications.

Please note, that because of the fast pace and large volume of patients seen in the outpatient clinic, most of the teaching will take place during hospital rounds and procedures in the endoscopy suite or surgical center.

During your experience, you will learn the following U.S. medical practices under the preceptor’s supervision:

• Taking patient histories.

• Performing physical exams under the physician's supervision.

• Presenting patients.

• Writing simulated progress notes (rotators will have access to eClinicalWorks EMR)

• Have opportunities to research the literature to answer clinical questions at the point of care.

• Giving talks on medical topics

• Spending time with other healthcare professionals to understand their roles and responsibilities.

The activities above will mostly take place in the outpatient setting. As a result of hospital policies, inpatient activities will be more observational.