Medical Student Education

Welcome to the Division of Medical Student Education for the Department of Family and Community Medicine!

If you are an MCW student in any year, with a curiosity or interest in the specialty of Family Medicine, you are welcome to participate in the Family Medicine Learning Community (FMLC), coordinated by MCW’s Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM).

For more information on any of these opportunities, please contact Leslie Ruffalo, PhD at lruffalo@mcw.edu or (414) 955-8710.

Learning Communities

Learning communities are “intentional communities” that engage students and faculty to enhance learning through a common purpose, similar interests and learning experiences.

Our “student-type” Family Medicine Learning Community is focused on:

Medical school education at MCW with Family Medicine enrichment/perspective
Service learning and Family Medicine enrichment activities
Career education and advising activities
Social functions, including athletic and cultural activities
Intentional peer-to-peer educational and social interaction/collaborations, especially between upper and lower classmen (vertical integration among classes)
Leadership and professional development activities

Successful learning communities are collaborative. The faculty in the DFCM Medical Student Education Division are dedicated to working with MCW student organizations and individual students to foster student connection, excellence, learning, leadership and service. Below is a diagram of individuals who identify themselves as part of the FMLC.

FMLC Goal

The goal of our Family Medicine Learning Community (FMLC) is to foster student connection, excellence, learning, leadership and service in primary care and Family Medicine. The FMLC brings together students interested in Family Medicine across all four years of medical school with MCW Family Medicine faculty, residents and community family physicians. The objectives of the FMLC are to:

Encourage students to explore the dynamic field of Family Medicine through formal and informal activities, working closely with each other and Family Physician mentors/advisors.
Promote the balance of basic science knowledge with primary care competencies and decision-making skills through active learning.
Support students in their professional development regardless of their ultimate specialty choice.

FMLC Opportunities and Activities

Below is a list of FMLC Opportunities:

FMLC Saturday Free Clinic (two or three times a year, the Saturday Free clinic is staffed primarily by FMLC students and faculty)
Service Learning; many of these opportunities are provided through MCW’s National Award-winning Family Medicine Student Association (FMSA). FMSA is a student-run organization that coordinates a number of worthwhile important community projects (including Tars Wars, Health Room Helper, Ready Set Fit, and Homeless Clinic). The DFCM provides a faculty liaison and staff support.
Evidence-Based Medicine Journal Club
Special Olympics Physical Day
Social events, including the annual Helfaer Field softball game
Pathway support, for projects with a Primary Care/Family Medicine emphasis
Pathway support for literature reviews on topics important to primary care

Family Medicine and Pathways

The goal of faculty in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at MCW is to provide Pathway students with early clinical opportunities/experiences to explore the exciting and diverse possibilities of Family Medicine/Primary Care. Direct patient care experiences, seminar series and service learning opportunities through-out the year provide ways to connect the basic sciences and the clinical environment while helping you meet pathway requirements for monthly non-core hours.

Family Medicine Faculty are involved in all nine MCW pathways. Students with an interest in primary care generally will choose a primary care faculty advisor since experiences will likely emphasize primary care concepts; however, Family Medicine faculty welcome all students as pathway advisees, regardless of career interest.

If you are interested in a Family Medicine advisor for your pathway, it is best to contact faculty advisor, Leslie Ruffalo, lruffalo@mcw.edu. She can help match you to an appropriate Family Medicine faculty member, based on your interests. Students in any pathway, with any faculty advisor from any department, are welcome to join us and participate in the FMLC.

Contact Us

Family Advisor for the Family Medicine Learning Community (FMLC): Leslie Ruffalo, PhD
(414) 955-8710 or (414) 955-4333 | lruffalo@mcw.edu

Required Family Medicine Clerkship

Welcome to MCW’s Family Medicine Clerkship. This four-week required clerkship gives all students a chance to experience family medicine, primarily in an office setting. There, under the guidance of superb community family physicians, family medicine faculty physicians or family medicine residents, students see the broadest possible range of patients, learn and practice real-world management of common medical problems, and discover the satisfactions of family medicine. At the same time, students learn the core primary care skills that no other rotation can provide so comprehensively.

Clerkship Overview

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Clerkship Goals

The overall goal of the Family Medicine Clerkship is to provide an outstanding learning experience for all medical students. In addition, the Family Medicine Clerkship should:

Demonstrate the unequivocal value of primary care as an integral part of any health care system
Teach an approach to the evaluation and initial management of acute presentations commonly seen in the office setting
Teach an approach to the management of chronic illnesses that are commonly seen in the office setting
Teach an approach to conduct a wellness visit for a patient of any age or gender
Model the principles of family medicine care
Provide instruction in communication, physical exam, assessment and clinical reasoning skills

Clerkship Learning Objectives

The Discovery Curriculum is competency-based and linked to previously-approved MCW Global Competencies. Upon completion of this unit, a student will be able to:

Patient Care

Gather information, formulate differential diagnoses, and propose plans for the initial evaluation and management of patients with common presentations in the office setting.
Manage follow-up visits with patients having one or more common chronic diseases in the office setting.

Knowledge for Practice

Recognize symptoms, signs and differential diagnoses of common acute and chronic illnesses as they present in primary care.
Develop evidence-based diagnostic and management plans for common acute and chronic illnesses.
Develop evidence-based health promotion/disease prevention plans for patients of any age or gender.
Integrate population factors of heritage, environment and disease prevalence into patient care.

Practice-Based Learning and Improvement

Develop proficiency in efficiently assessing and using computer-based resources for improving patient care.

Interpersonal and Communication Skills

Demonstrate competency in advanced elicitation of history, communication, physical examination, and clinical reasoning skills.
Demonstrate skills in motivational interviewing and patient education.
Integrate socioeconomic, cultural and environmental factors into patient care.
Acknowledge the presence and risks of explicit and implicit biases in clinical encounters.

Systems-Based Practice

Discuss the principles of family medicine care
Discuss the critical role of family physicians within any health care system.
Discuss the Patient-Centered Medical Home

Interprofessional Collaboration

Identify the role of family physicians and other members of the health care team in the Interdisciplinary/Medical Home model of comprehensive, personalized care.

Personal and Professional Development

Promote professional self-awareness and self-care. Demonstrate and promote emotional development thru critical reflection on clinical stories.

Professionalism

Demonstrate a basic understanding of the professional and ethical issues facing family physicians
Continuous effort at striving to fulfill expectations of the patients, colleagues, and members of the healthcare team.

Clerkship Orientation

Milwaukee
At the start of each 4-week block, the Family Medicine Clerkship begins with an orientation. The orientation is held in the classroom at the Department of Family & Community Medicine located in MCW Hub for Collaborative Medicine (HUB) building; the exact location is contingent upon room availability. Orientation is generally the first Monday of the rotation and begins at 9:00 am. Attendance at orientation is mandatory and you should always dress professionally for your orientations.

Green Bay
Each block of the Family Medicine clerkship begins with an orientation, which will be given via Polycom by the Clerkship Director Dr. Bower. Your Green Bay coordinator will notify you of the location to report by 8:45 am on the first day.

Clinical Site Orientation
For all sites, there will be one physician (your preceptor) who will coordinate the schedule at that practice site and the schedule with other physicians at that site. The physician’s office staff at the clinical practice site will provide an orientation to the practice, to the office staff, to other physicians, and to that practice's schedule.

Rotation Sites Assignments

All students will be assigned to a clinical practice with a family physician who will be their site preceptor. Sites include:

Family Medicine Residency Program sites, affiliated with the MCW Department of Family and Community Medicine. Specific sites include Columbia-St. Mary’s Family Health Center, All Saints Family Health Center, Town Hall Health Center, and the Fox Valley/Appleton Family Health Center.
Other select non-MCW Family Medicine Residency Program sites.
Froedtert & MCW primary care clinics including Tosa Health Center, Sunnyslope Health Center, Lincoln Avenue Health Center, Greenfield Highlands Health Center, Germantown Health Center and other MCW health network sites.
Southeastern (SE) Wisconsin community family physicians or family physician groups that volunteer to have students in their office.
State of Wisconsin “rural” practice sites, outside of SE Wisconsin, for select 4-week blocks, based on availability. Students can choose a rural site. For some 4 week blocks students will be assigned to a rural practice (see page 8 of syllabus (PDF)).

Request from students to any of the above locations are considered and when possible accommodated. This clerkship does not work from rank lists. Students will be notified of the clinical practice assignments in advance. Please contact Stephanie Shaw at (414) 955-8207 about your assignment.

All students will be assigned to a clinical practice with a volunteer community family physician (or group).

Clerkship Sites

M3 Family Medicine Clerkship Sites

All Saints Family Medicine Residency Program
2400 W. Villard Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53209

Columbia St. Mary's Family Medicine Residency Program
1121 E. North Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53211

Columbia St. Mary's Family Practice Associates Cedarburg
W62 N179 Washington Ave.
Cedarburg, WI 53012

Community Memorial Hospital Family Residency Program
W180 N8000 Town Hall Rd.
Menomonee Falls, WI 53051

Fox Valley Family Medicine Residency Program
229 S. Morrison St.
Appleton, WI 54911

Froedtert – Tosa Health Center
1155 N. Mayfair Rd., Suite A
Wauwatosa, WI 53226

Waukesha Family Medicine Program
210 NW Barstow St., Suite 201
Waukesha, WI 53188

Download the Full Course Syllabus (PDF)

For our Preceptors:
Preceptor Brochure (PDF)
Preceptor Handbook (PDF)

M4 Electives

The electives below are offered by the Department of Family and Community Medicine to senior medical students. Contact the Registrar's Office at (414) 955-8873 for more details.

To view the M4 course catalog, you must sign into OASIS. Additional information is available on the Registrar's website.

Electives Offered

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FMED-M4226-Promoting Health in Underserved Communities

Family & Community Medicine
MCW – Hub for Collaborative Medicine A2360-3
Faculty Director: Leslie Ruffalo, PhD / Marie Wolff, PhD
Course Coordinator: Carletta Rhodes

MED-M4110-Community Health in Zambia

Columbia St. Mary’s Family Health Center
1121 E. North Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Faculty Director - James Sanders, MD
Course Coordinator: Tifany Frazer

MED-M4112-Family Medicine Elective at Fox Valley Residency

Mosiac Family Health
229 S. Morrison St.
Appleton, WI 54911
Faculty Director: Alan Last, MD
Course Coordinator: Erin Knight

MED-M4114-Rural Ambulatory Medicine

Contact Faculty for Exact Time & Location
Marsho Clinic
Sheboygan, WI
Faculty Director: Larry Duenk, MD
Course Coordinator: Cheryl Schaefer

MED-M4115-Sports Medicine-Primary Care

Contact Faculty for Exact Time & Location
(414) 805-7463 or (414) 955-3217
Faculty Director: Craig Young, MD
Course Coordinator: Tara Fikejs

MED-M4116-Women's Health-Family-Centered Care Emphasizing OB

Columbia St. Mary’s Family Health Center
1121 E. North Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Faculty Director: Paul Koch, MD
Course Coordinator: Cheryl Schaefer

MED-M4305-Academic Family Medicine and Community-Based Research

Department of Family & Community Medicine
MCW – Hub for Collaborative Medicine A2340-5
Faculty Director: Linda N. Meurer, MD, MPH
Course Coordinator: Karen Krause

MED-M4408-Doctor/Patient Relationship from Patient/Provider Perspective

Department of Family & Community Medicine
MCW – Hub for Collaborative Medicine A2340-5
Faculty Director: Richard Holloway, PhD
Course Coordinator: Karen Krause

MED-M4420-Health Policy and Advocacy for Physicians

Dept. of Family & Community Medicine
MCW – Hub for Collaborative Medicine A2324
Faculty Director: Alan K. David, MD
Course Coordinator: Veronica Ruleford

M4 Required Subinternships and Ambulatory Rotations

FMED-M4502 - Family Medicine Acting Internship at Columbia St. Mary's Hospital

Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital
2301 N. Lake Dr., Room 4208
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Director: Sabrina Hofmeister, MD
Course Coordinator: Cheryl Schaefer

FMED-M4510 - Family Medicine Acting Internship at Waukesha Memorial Hospital

Waukesha Memorial Hospital
725 American Ave.
Waukesha, WI 53188
Director: Maureen Longeway, MD
Course Coordinator: Diane Behling

FMED-M4512 - Family Medicine Acting Intership at St. Joseph Hospital

St. Joseph Hospital
5000 W. Chambers Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53210
Director: David Klehm, MD
Course Coordinator: Staci Huber

FMED-M4903 - Family Medicine Ambulatory Rotations

Columbia St. Mary’s Family Health Center
1121 E. North Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Director: Seth Bodden, MD
Course Coordinator: Cheryl Schaefer