Biomaterial Database

A community-oriented primary care experience for medical students and family practice residents. 1993

H H Summerlin, and S E Landis, and P R Olson

Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

OBJECTIVE Medical students and residents are more likely to understand the health needs of a community if they have community-based practical experience during their training. This report describes a community-oriented educational experience for medical students and family practice residents in rural North Carolina. METHODS Medical students and residents from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and residents from Asheville spend one month in a small community in western North Carolina. During the month-long experience, these trainees live in the community and provide clinical care to patients. They also meet with local health officials, service agencies, and community organizations to learn about the community's health system. The trainees then prepare a written report about the community's health system, a community health problem identified by the trainee, and a proposal to solve the problem. RESULTS Trainees report that the rotation provides a unique opportunity to understand the health system of a community. Some of the trainee-proposed solutions to problems have been implemented by community leaders. CONCLUSIONS A community-oriented primary care rotation can provide students and residents with an important understanding of the health system and health problems of a community.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007396	Internship and Residency	Programs of EDUCATION, MEDICAL, GRADUATE training to meet the requirements established by accrediting authorities.	House Staff,Internship, Dental,Residency, Dental,Residency, Medical,Dental Internship,Dental Internships,Dental Residencies,Dental Residency,Internship,Internship, Medical,Internships, Dental,Medical Residencies,Medical Residency,Residencies, Dental,Residencies, Medical,Residency,Residency and Internship,Internships, Medical,Medical Internship,Medical Internships,Residencies,Staff, House
D009657	North Carolina	State bounded on the north by Virginia, on the east and Southeast by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Georgia and South Carolina, and on the west by Tennessee.
D011320	Primary Health Care	Care which provides integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. (JAMA 1995;273(3):192)	Primary Care,Primary Healthcare,Care, Primary,Care, Primary Health,Health Care, Primary,Healthcare, Primary
D003154	Community Medicine	A branch of medicine concerned with the total health of the individual within the home environment and in the community, and with the application of comprehensive care to the prevention and treatment of illness in the entire community.	Medicine, Community
D004504	Education, Medical, Undergraduate	The period of medical education in a medical school. In the United States it follows the baccalaureate degree and precedes the granting of the M.D.	Medical Education, Undergraduate,Education, Undergraduate Medical,Undergraduate Medical Education
D005194	Family Practice	A medical specialty concerned with the provision of continuing, comprehensive primary health care for the entire family.	Family Practices,Practice, Family,Practices, Family
D012424	Rural Population	The inhabitants of rural areas or of small towns classified as rural.	Rural Residence,Rural Communities,Rural Spatial Distribution,Communities, Rural,Community, Rural,Distribution, Rural Spatial,Distributions, Rural Spatial,Population, Rural,Populations, Rural,Residence, Rural,Rural Community,Rural Populations,Rural Residences,Rural Spatial Distributions