The Medical Student Education Program is directed by Jeffrey Cluver, M.D., winner ofthe 2008 Nancy Roeske award for excellence in medical student education. The Department provides required course work throughout the medical student curriculum, with each course, building upon the previous one. In addition to the required courses, the Department provides numerous 4-week electives available to 4th year students, as well as 3-week selectives for 3rd year students. Students take the Behavioral Sciences in Medical Practice (BSMP) course during the fall semester of their 1st year. THe course is integrated with other courses in the Fundamentals of Patient Care Curriculum. Students learn about normal developmental issues across the lifespan and, using a case-based format, learn about basic psychological and behavioral sciences principles. Students also learn effective interviewing techniques through interviews of simulated patients. In the spring semester of the students’ 2nd year, students take the Psychopathology course, which introduces students to basic information about the major psychiatric diagnostic groups including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and others. Dr. Chris Pelic and Dr. Jeff Cluver (the course director) provide most of the instruction and lectures for this lightly-rated course. During their 3rd year, students take a required 6-week clerkship in psychiatry. We believe students learn best when they are directly involved in patients’ care and are an integral member of the treatment team. Each student is assigned to an inpatient unit or consult service at the MUSC Institute of Psychiatry or at the VAMC. The inpatient experience is paired with an ancillary/outpatient assignment for the equivalent of ½ to 1 day per week for 5 weeks. Lectures, case conferences, and on-call experiences round out the clerkship. Students’ performance is evaluated by their attending physician and residents, with the inpatient grade comprising 50% of the students’ final grade, and the ancillary/outpatient grade comprising 10% of the students’ final grade. The National Board Shelf exam is also used to assess students’ knowledge base, and counts 30% of the students’ final grade. In addition, students complete an objective standardized clinical exam (OSCE) at the end of the clerkship, which requires them to demonstrate sound interviewing skills, data gathering abilities, diagnostic abilities, and treatment plan formulation. The OSCE counts 10% of the students’ final grade. At the end of the clerkship, the highest performing students will receive the designation of Honors. In addition, at the end of each rotation, a student may be selected to be the Outstanding Student in that rotation. MUSC students score above the national mean on the National Board Shelf exam administered at the end of each clerkship.
In addition, 3rd-year students are given the option of taking up to two 3-week selectives. During the 4th-year, students may sign up for Psychiatry Electives. In all our course offerings for medical students, we employ a continuous quality improvement model. The importance of student feedback is highlighted by our annual tradition of awarding teaching excellence awards to faculty members and residents based upon students’ ratings of their teaching. In addition to providing students a solid knowledge base in Psychiatry, our courses and clerkships instill in students effective communication skills and patient management skills that will be important in their work with patients in all walks of medicine. We also provide an excellent introduction to Psychiatry as a career, and Dr. Cluver and other faculty members welcome inquiries about Psychiatry residences at MUSC and other universities. We also welcome students from other universities in our electives, and encourage students to participate in our Psychiatry Interest Group. |
