University of Virginia School of Medicine
Practice of Medicine Course
The Practice of Medicine course for first year medical students has completed a highly successful year.
The Practice of Medicine course provides a format for actively learning the fundamental attitudes, skills, and knowledge required of a physician. This interdisciplinary course focuses on:
- Basic professional skills and attitudes involved in listening to patients, including interview techniques, the formation of a respectful and attentive relationship, recognition of appropriate boundaries and possible barriers to communication, and the structure of the standard medical history;
- Basic physical examination skills, including approach to the patient, proper exam techniques, use of instruments, recognition of normal physical exam findings and use of information management in medical decision making;
- Knowledge of the medical profession's history, culture, and relation to society, including the profession's ethical foundations and moral obligations.
At the end of the first year, PoM-1 medical students have acquired basic abilities in each of these areas and are prepared for the second year of the course. The second year PoM-2 continues to expand the student's developing competence in the practice of medicine, emphasizing diagnosis, prognosis and therapy of disease, and expansion of information management skills in medical decision making.
The Practice of Medicine course directors are John Gazewood from Family Medicine, and Eve Bargman and Brian Wispelwey from Internal Medicine. John has been instrumental in the design and development of the PoM course and Eve brings extensive experience with problem based learning formats. Brian has for many years lead the second year and is a master of clinical teaching
The Practice of Medicine course is charged with energy. The course is exciting for students and faculty and all benefit from active participation. The course serves to integrate our basic sciences with clinical medicine and provides an ideal format for problem based learning.
Donald J Innes, M.D.
Associate Dean for Curriculum
University of Virginia School of Medicine