Educational Activities

Dr. Shultz at the blackboard

Family medicine residents take part in a variety of subspecialty conferences and inpatient teaching sessions. But the department also offers its own extensive educational events. Here are a few:

Topic	Time
FRIC, Procedure Core, and Alternative Core	1:00 – 1:55 p.m. Thursdays
OB/GYN Core	1:55 – 2:45 p.m. Thursdays
Biomedical Core	2:50 – 3:45 p.m. Thursdays
Psychosocial Core (PSM)	3:55 – 4:50 p.m. Thursdays
Balint Group	4:50 – 5:30 p.m. Thursdays
Journal Club	8:00 a.m. 1st and 3rd Fridays

FRIC, Procedure Core, and Alternative Core

docs FRIC (Faculty-Resident Issues Conference) is a chance for residents and faculty to discuss logistical issues and to solve problems. Procedure Core is a new educational forum that provides residents with hands-on training for common office procedures. Alternative Core is a catch-all, 45-minute time slot where multiple topics are presented. It’s a chance for residents to share their interesting experiences with colleagues, including tales of overseas work. It's also an opportunity for brief but valuable presentations, such as occupational medicine pearls.

FRIC, Procedure Core, and Alternative Core lectures take place every Thursday from 1:00 – 1:55 p.m. at the Family Medicine Center, 777 South Clinton Ave.

OB/GYN Core

splint Dr. Steven Eisinger, our obstetrician, presents a different topic each week. The topic is often based on a recent case and includes both inpatient and outpatient problems. OB/GYN Core lectures take place from 1:55 – 2:45 p.m. every Thursday.

Biomedical Core

All residents are required to attend two biomedical lectures a month given by department faculty on clinically relevant topics. Some lecturers provide a skeletal outline handout; others provide lengthy, in-depth reading materials. Biomedical Core lectures take place from 2:50 – 3:45 p.m. every Thursday.

Psychosocial Core Schedule (PSM)

Psychosocial Core lectures take place from 3:55 – 4:50 p.m. every Thursday.

Balint

Balint is a personal awareness group facilitated by a Family Medicine faculty and a family therapist. Residents and experts explore doctor/patient relationships and development of the resident’s identity as a family physician. The Balint group takes place from 4:50 – 5:30 p.m. every Thursday.

Journal Club

more docs Journal Club is coordinated by the chief residents and supervised by the Assitant Residency Director, Dr. Smith. The goal is to generate lifelong skills in the acquisition and use of evidence-based information that is focused on the reality of a busy office medical practice. This goal is achieved by melding critical appraisal of primary literature, application of the principles of evidence-based medicine (EBM), and acquisition of skill in point-of-care online resource use to help guide clinical practice. For each session, one resident obtains and appraises a relevant article on a predefined topic and clinical question to be briefly presented. The topics match the resident's curriculum and the EBM principle that's being focused on (e.g., therapy and NNT). All of the other participants are expected to spend 10 minutes searching on line for evidence-based information regarding the predefined topic and clinical question. A group discussion is then led by the chief residents and faculty regarding the effectiveness of resource use, article content, and search strategy that facilitates improved assessment of primary literature, point-of-care information use, and understanding of EBM. We hope that following this process each session results in a consensus on the best clinical practice and how and if current clinical practice should be adjusted.

The Journal Club meets at 8 a.m. every first and third Friday morning.

A Note to Patients: Journal Club topics are presented on our website for educational purposes for medical professionals. Even if we discuss a topic that has relevance to your clinical condition, these presentations are not intended to make medical recommendations or suggest referrals. Please contact your own health care provider.