VCOM College Catalog and Student Handbook

• (MED 7235) Principles of Primary Care and Osteopathic Medicine III: 2 credit hours The Principles of Primary Care course includes the medical history and physical exam related to neurological and optical systems and psychological/psychiatric examination. The course includes the approach to the neurological examination, differential diagnosis from the most common complaints, preventive medicine measures to support the health of the system, the nutrition important to the health of the system, communication, the most common injuries to the system, the most common abnormalities or disease, and the most basic Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine techniques used to correct structural and functional abnormalities in these systems. The course also includes ethical considerations in neurological injury and death and dying curriculum. The course covers the most important history to determine the differential for clinical presentations of symptoms, the complete examination for the systems, and the integration of how abnormalities in the system may affect other systems or the whole patient. Additional laboratory time is dedicated to acquiring and advancing osteopathic manipulative medicine skills especially to the spine and sacrum. The course includes prevention and nutritional strategies for the health of the system. Clinical skills for physical diagnosis, clinical procedural skills most common to the neurological system (lumbar puncture, principles of EMG and EEG) are taught in the clinical laboratory format. Challenges with difficult histories from neurological injury and psychiatric illness are discussed. Special examinations related to psychiatric history and mental status examinations are presented. • (MED 7239) Competency in Clinical Skills III: 1 credit hour The Competency in Clinical Skills course is a simulation-based, psychomotor course that instructs and assesses students on clinical skills, clinical reasoning, and medical procedures through the context of patient encounters and procedural skills. Clinical skills, professional development, and medical procedures are major curricular focuses providing early patient exposure and the means to develop outstanding clinical thinking, technical skills, and a sense of professionalism utilizing evidence-based medicine. Curricular time is devoted to clinical skills, reasoning, professional development, and procedural skill activities. Students meet in small group sessions as they work with clinical faculty to apply interview and examinations skills to the diagnosis and treatment of patients and is an opportunity for students to practice medical procedural skills under supervision. These activities provide focused opportunities to learn through cooperation and collaboration, which helps students develop their abilities to work with groups of colleagues and co workers in a professional environment. Individual demonstration of the patient encounter and procedural skill will be video recorded, graded, and archived to fulfill college requirements and may be used for educational and research purposes. • (MED 7271) Clinical Medicine: Neurology/Neurosurgery: 3 credit hours Clinical Medicine brings in the most common diseases affecting the neurological system and includes 80 to 90% diseases and disorders most often seen in primary care and emergent settings. This curriculum provides the clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, and treatment of various disorders or diseases in Neurology and Neurosurgery. Where quality-of-care guidelines exist, they are included. Conditions included are genetic, infectious, acute and chronic medical, traumatic, and surgical cases. The cases incorporate the anatomy, physiology, and pathology knowledge learned earlier in the block. Treatment includes osteopathic principles, pharmacology, and surgical treatments. Diagnostic procedures are presented including radiology, laboratory results, and other disease specific diagnostic exams. The course is taught in lecture and case presentation format and often requires pre-reading by the student for the cases discussed in class.

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