Integration
Health care and medicine for women is being integrated into several other areas throughout the first two phases of the new curriculum. Many OB/GYN related cases have been developed for discussion during phase 1 and 2 courses. A significant portion of Lifecycles focuses on issues related to women’s health. Foundations of Medicine continues to place some students into OB/GYN offices throughout the community. Up until the 2007-2008 academic year students were initially taught pelvic and breast examination skills via the GTA program during the orientation session of the OB/GYN block. The class of 2009 was the first class to have pelvic and breast exam instruction during the second year. Pelvic and breast exam skills were taught using the GTA program during the Lifecycles block in March, 2007. Students will have an assessment of these skills along with additional training in the skills they are noted to be deficient in at the beginning of the Women's Health Care block. There will be further integration of curricula with courses including but not limited to: Operative and Perioperative Care, Mental Health, Ambulatory Primary Care of the Adult/Rural and Community Care, and Urgent Care/Emergency Medicine. On the first day of the Women's Health Care block all students will have a Suture Workshop which will include didactic and hands on instruction in knot tying and suturing.

Beginning in the 2007-2008 academic year, the Women's Health Care block will implement objectives and competencies for perinatal and neonatal medicine, some of which were previously covered during the Pediatric clerkship. Drs. Mary Kohn and Shale Wong have helped to define and implement the educational objectives around newborn health as they relate to the mother-baby dyad.

During the intrasessions we will have the opportunity to integrate basic science content as well as the HEP and Cultural Competency and Diversity threads. The intrasession will consist of a lecture series as well as a two required small group case discussions. The lecture series will take place on 4-5 Monday mornings. Basic science content will include physiology of pregnancy and the hypothalamic pituitary axis as it relates to the menstrual cycle and menopause. The materials from these sessions will be available to AHEC students through the block website. The case discussions will involve an unintended pregnancy case and an abnormal uterine bleeding case. Related discussion will include the ethics involving pregnancy termination and issues related to cultural competency. Students will be required to review journal articles for the abnormal uterine bleeding case. AHEC students will be required to work through the case exercises with their preceptor. All preceptors will be given the same materials that outline key discussion points that should be reviewed with the students.

In the Operative and Perioperative Care, Mental Health, Ambulatory Primary Care of the Adult/Rural and Community Care blocks, students have opportunities to care for women and learn about women’s health. In circumstances where they will be better able to address objectives unique to these settings, we will work with the block directors to define those objectives.