Albert Einstein Medical Center offers several unique educational opportunities for third- year medical students. There are 6-10 student lectures given by full-time faculty members every month including a monthly medical jeopardy to review the topics presented. Students meet with the Chairman of Medicine, Dr. Steven Sivak, weekly to discuss interesting cases with their peers. Students also meet weekly in small groups with a faculty mentor for student-guided learning modules. During the rotation, students have access to the Johnson Learning Center, a state-of-the-art learning center with Harvey©, a model that simulates heart sounds, an IV Catheter simulator to practice IV catheter insertion and phlebotomy, an endoscopy simulation to learn bronchoscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy, as well as access to CD ROMS to help students understand the pathophysiology of abnormal heart and lung sounds. We also offer an evidence-based physical diagnosis mini-course and lectures in principles of evidence-based medicine.

Chairman’s Rounds

Dr. Steven Sivak, the Paul J. Johnson Chairperson of Medicine, meets with all medical students once a week to discuss interesting cases presented by the medical students. Students enjoy this activity as it allows them to interact with a respected and accomplished physician in a group of their peers.

Mentor Rounds

Medical students meet in small groups with a faculty mentor weekly. This student-run session is designed to allow students to enhance their skills in whatever they feel will benefit them the most under the guidance of a Faculty Member or Chief Resident. This session has been used to further bedside physical exam skills, review EKG’s, discuss ethics with Dr. Allman, a well-loved faculty member with an interest in ethics and many publications in the field, learn about antibiotics, or community-acquired pneumonia and sessions with Harvey.

Student Lectures

Albert Einstein Medical Center gives 8-12 lectures a month on various internal medicine topics to students. These lectures are given by full-time faculty members and chief residents and are geared specifically to third-year medical students. In addition to the required third-year clerkship topics we have included interactive sessions on CXR reading and abdominal films and EKG interpretation. We have also incorporated important topics such as preventive medicine, bleeding disorders, coronary artery disease and HIV into our student curriculum.

Evidence-based physical diagnosis mini-course

Albert Einstein offers a weekly evidence-based physical diagnosis mini-course. The curriculum emphasizes the pathophysiology of abnormal physical findings using Harvey and CD ROM’s and discusses the sensitivity and specificity of various physical findings to diagnose many clinical conditions.

Jeopardy Review Session

Students have a monthly, high-tech, power point Jeopardy match complete with buzzers, prizes and heated competition. The questions are based on student lectures and general internal medicine topics that third-year students are expected to master during their third-year medicine clerkship. Einstein’s Department of Medicine will be challenging students from other Jefferson affiliates to a City-wide Jefferson Medical Student Tournament.

Evidence-based medicine curriculum

Evidence-based medicine forms the foundation of Einstein’s Internal Medicine Residency program and has been incorporated into the student curriculum. OVID, PubMed, on-line atlases and Micromedix are available on any computer on the patient floors. Students are given lectures on how to use on-line resources to aid in the management of patients and how to evaluate the strength of evidence for any intervention.

 

Structure of the Day

Students are expected to arrive at Albert Einstein Medical Center at 7:00 am to see their patients. During work rounds, from 8:00 – 10:00, the student, intern and resident examine and discuss every patient on their service. This provides an opportunity for the senior resident to demonstrate interesting physical findings and discuss diagnostic and management issues as it relates to each patient. Teaching rounds occur from 10:30-12 every day but Wednesday. These didactic sessions allow the team to formally discuss multiple aspects of care of one patient. At the end of the session the team meets and examines the patient together. On Wednesday students and residents attend Medical Grand Rounds from 11:30-12:30. Student lectures are held almost every day from 12:30-1:30. The remainder of the day is devoted to patient care activities. Students sign out with the team at 5:00 PM. Call is every fourth night until 10. During this time, medical students admit new patients, participate in managing acute medical issues such as hyperkalemia and chest pain, and perform procedures.