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

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.

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.

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

1. 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.
2. Other select non-MCW Family Medicine Residency Program sites.
3. 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.
4. Southeastern (SE) Wisconsin community family physicians or family physician groups that volunteer to have students in their office.
5. 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).

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

Froedtert Menomonee Falls Hospital Family Medicine 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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