URMC / Medicine Welcome to the Department of Medicine We excel at providing outstanding care to our patients and their families. Every day we live the University’s motto, Meliora, meaning “ever better”, as we carry out our academic missions of delivering compassionate clinical care, educational excellence and innovative cutting edge research. Even though we are the largest department in the Medical Center we are proud of our unique ability to provide highly personalized medical care to our patients. About the Department Leadership and Administration Mission and Values
Spotlight: Enhancing Clinical Decision-Making with Point-of-Care Ultrasound With rapid improvements in hand-held ultrasound technology, Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) is increasingly being used by medical professionals to enhance the physical exam and aid in real-time bedside clinical decision-making. In the Department of Medicine, we have markedly expanded PoCUS education for trainees and faculty, emphasizing focused, evidence-supported PoCUS scanning techniques. For example, Internal Medicine and Medicine-Pediatrics residents now complete a two-week ultrasound rotation which incorporates on-line training with directly supervised scanning by PoCUS experienced clinicians. We provide a recurring hands-on PoCUS workshop to every third-year medical student rotating through the Internal Medicine clerkship. Faculty members acquire new PoCUS skills through a novel approach that uses focused, recurring, hands-on noon training sessions. We assess this innovative faculty training model through direct observation of faculty skills as well as video-based clinical vignettes in an effort to disseminate the model and help address the vast national gap in PoCUS-savvy faculty. With growing experience at all levels of clinician training, PoCUS is increasingly being used during team rounds across Divisions within the Department. Expanding PoCUS skillsets will ultimately contribute to enhanced clinical decision making, more cost-conscious management approaches, and greater patient access to care over the course of our trainees’ careers.