Cardiology Rotation for 4th Year Students

To meet the objectives in strengthening knowledge, skills, attitude and behavior while managing patients on cardiology consult service.

1. Knowledge:
• The student should demonstrate ability to evaluate and manage patients with the following conditions:
• Stable coronary syndromes
• Cardiac dysrrhythmias
• Congestive heart failure
• Hypertension
• Understand the pathology, diagnosis and treatment of the conditions being managed while reading necessary texts and articles simultaneously making evidence based care decisions.
• The student should become competent in performing and accurately recording complete history and physical with assessment, differential diagnosis and plan independently.
2. Skills:

The student:

• Should be able to accurately perform and record history and physicals with assessment, differential diagnosis and plan independently.
• Should develop skills to interpret EKGs.
• Should learn to interpret exercise/ adenosine/ dobutamine stress testing studies.
• Should learn the basics of echocardiography.
• Should be able to learn effective communication skills with patients and families using appropriate language and avoiding jargon and medical terminology.
3. Behavior:

The student should be:

• Able to provide compassionate and empathic patient care in acute and chronic care settings.
• Sensitive to the diverse factors affecting patients and their health care beliefs and needs including race, culture, income and ethnicity.
• Develop effective communication skills with the staff including other physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and social workers for better patient care delivery. 
4. Attitudes:

The student should be able to:

• Practice and respect patient privacy and confidentiality while maintaining highest standards of professionalism.
• Discuss ethical issues including end of life care

• Adult patient care with above described disease mix aiming at 3-4 patients per day.
• Case presentation during rounds with complete assessment, differential diagnosis and plan.
• Maintain patient log seen by the student to assess meeting the above mentioned objectives.
• Read core articles in cardiology handbook.
• Presentation and attendance in morning reports and journal clubs.
• Mandatory attendance in noon conferences.
• Dictate/ write discharge and/or transfer summaries.

Review of student’s case presentations, documentation, professionalism and counseling skills during management rounds and conferences.

End of rotation evaluation forms.

Student satisfaction assessment once every two weeks with appropriate feedback to assure individual needs are met.

The student will be  

• Responsible for patient managed by him/her under the guidance of senior resident.
• Responsible for communication with the primary team as well as consultants wherever indicated.
• Demonstrating highest standards of professionalism with patients and colleagues.

The student should sit with the 4th year director at the end of the rotation to discuss and fill out an evaluation forms for rotation and faculty.