Program Syllabus Clinical Practice Training Program Academy of Medical & Public Health Services
Meetings: Saturdays, 10:00am to 02:00pm 273 Bowery Street, New York, NY 10002
Instructors: Jerald Chandy ([email protected]) Hewett Chiu ([email protected]) Pensri Ho ([email protected]) Marnelli Hamilton ([email protected]) Mon Yuck Yu ([email protected])
Coordinator: Mon Yuck Yu ([email protected])
Welcome to the Clinical Practice Training Program! This course is designed to equip students with the underlying skills to prepare for further and advanced study in the medical and health sciences. Pursuing a career in medicine, allied health professions, and public health is highly rewarding and fulfilling; but involves much time, preparation, hard work, and financial resources.
Through lectures, class discussions, community-based fieldwork, and hands-on clinical practice sessions, students will be able to develop a deeper appreciation for the rigor and intensity of studying the medical sciences. In addition, the coursework is developed to inherently integrate public health and clinical research principles into the clinical sciences for students to better understand both theory and practice in healthcare.
Program Syllabus | 1 Course Objectives
The objectives of the program are to:
Provide a well-rounded experience for the student to see how basic science, clinical skills, public health, health policy, and research design works hand-in- hand in the current U.S. healthcare system. Health professions schools often do not provide training in public health and health policy, and we aim to give students valuable insight into how public health frameworks affect clinical decision-making.
Provide students with professional-level certifications that they can use to further their education and careers by boosting their credentials while partaking in a valuable educational experience over summer break or as an extracurricular during the school year.
Provide students with the foundations for critical thinking and analyses in a clinical setting, and understand how various fields such as public health, policy, and research interact to deliver healthcare for patients.
Course Methods & Materials
The course is designed to include a fairly even split of lecture, class discussion, and practical sessions. Students will have the opportunity to explore these different modes of learning and develop study skills that work best for them for each of these modes.
Lecture. Lecture-based sessions will include presentation slides. There are a few sessions in which the slides will not be available before the session, and two sessions in which the slides will not be available at all (Pharmacology and Clinical Cardiology / Electrocardiography). This is because the material for those sessions are particularly technical; it will help to learn the material if you reviewed the slides after having digested the lectures and listened to the class explanations of the background material first.
Discussion. Class discussion is designed to stimulate individual in-depth thinking and learning from your peers. It is imperative that you participate fully in these discussions, not only because active participation is part of your grade, but also because this is the chance to really learn a topic well. Lectures can only teach you so much; real learning comes from challenging your own understanding of a particular topic. To prepare for such discussions, you must have read, analyzed, and completed cases and problem sets assigned to you.
Practical. The practical sessions serve as an opportunity for you apply the theory and concepts you learned to simulated, real-life clinical cases. While both lectures and discussions are great ways to be introduced to and further explore a concept, practicals are the only way to master the hands-on skillset that form the core
Program Syllabus | 2 foundation for the practice of medicine and the allied health professions. These sessions are taught through a combination of video simulations and instructor guidance. All students are required to pass all practical sessions to be eligible for certification.
Course Website. Materials for the course made available for distribution to students will be accessible on the Piazza course website. Students enrolled in the course should receive an invitation to join the site and should activate their access accounts as soon as possible in order to retrieve course materials. If you are having difficulty accessing the site, please contact the Program Coordinator.
Examinations
There will be two examinations throughout the course. Both exams directly influence your eligibility for certification, and exams are not directly cumulative. You will sit for both exams on the date and time listed on this syllabus, under the Course Schedule section.
Conflicts. Students must sit for both exams as they are scheduled. If you have any conflict with any exam date, you must reach out to the Program Coordinator prior to the start of the program; otherwise we are not able to make any accommodations once the program has started. It is also not guaranteed that we can accommodate for all situations that arise. Any exams that are re-scheduled after the start of the program will be subject to an administrative fee.
Passing. If you do not pass one exam or any section of an exam, you will not receive certification corresponding to that exam or that/those section(s). You will, however, be eligible to sit for the other exams given that you meet all other certification requirements to sit for those examinations.
Passing on AHA BLS and First Aid exams is 84%. Passing on Pharmacology and ECG exams is 75%.
Re-grades. Re-grading of any exam should be directed directly to the instructor responsible for that exam. Please note that the entire examination will be re-graded, not just the disputed question.
Remediation. Remediation will be provided to students requiring additional academic support at the discretion of the instructors. Exam retakes are given only for the AHA Basic Life Support and First Aid courses.
Program Syllabus | 3 Case Project
Healthcare today is a very collaborative environment. Whether you are a clinician, administrator, public health scientist, or other healthcare professional, you will need to lead a team, effectively communicate, and manage team dynamics and conflicts. Therefore, a portion of the course is dedicated to honing these skills in a healthcare setting. You will work on a semester-long, team-based public health case project in which you will research a real-life public health intervention. The goals for this project are to (1) allow you to apply what you learned in the clinical sciences portion of the course to solving a pressing public health problem and experience firsthand how clinical medicine integrates with public health; and (2) develop your team management skills.
Successful completion of the project includes both producing a research paper and delivering a team presentation defending your paper, similar to a graduate school dissertation defense. More details on the project will be provided in a separate, dedicated document and will be reviewed in class.
The Case Project will be graded according to the following criteria:
Group Research Paper (Group Grade) 100 points Group Presentation (Group Grade) 100 points Assessment of Your Performance (Individual Grade) 50 points
Assignments
Assignments will be given on a regular basis. They can be in the form of problem sets, scenario-based discussion questions, theoretical discussion questions, or case studies. Notice that no assignments are simply multiple-choice questions – you will experience those types of questions enough on examinations. While they are not collected nor graded, the assignments are really to help you understand the material taught on a more intimate level and for you to actually apply what you learned in a setting when you have some more time to challenge your own understanding of the concepts taught. Please complete the assignments, as they form the basis for the class discussion (which is graded). They really only help you; contrary to popular belief, we instructors don’t enjoy creating assignments for our own fun.
Program Syllabus | 4 Grading
The following grading scheme will be used. There will be no curves and cutoffs will strictly not be adjusted.
Examination I 300 points 30% Examination II 300 points 30% Case Project 250 points 25% Class Practical 100 points 10% Clinical Discussion 50 points 5% Total 1000 points 100%
Please remember that for certification purposes, you need to pass each individual exam as outlined in the Examinations section above to obtain certification. To receive the AMPHS Certificate of Completion for the program, you must earn a final letter grade of “B” or higher (“B-” does not count).
964 – 1000 A 900 – 963 A- 839 – 899 B+ 710 – 838 B 649 – 709 B- 600 – 648 C+ 471 – 599 C 422 – 470 C- 300 – 421 D Below 300 F
Certifications
To be eligible for certification, students must (1) attend all class sessions; (2) demonstrate active participation and learning through class discussion and competency in practical skills sessions; and (3) pass the certification written examination. All passing and eligibility criteria are outlined in the Examinations and Grading sections on the preceding pages.
Students who successfully complete all certification criteria will have their candidacy affirmed and reviewed by the instructor, and the certification process is then commenced. Students will be notified when their certifications are ready to be picked up. Students must bring a valid photo ID to pick up their certifications in-person. Instructions will be sent to students once the certifications are ready.
Program Syllabus | 5 Office Hours
You are encouraged to extend a conversation with your instructors beyond the classroom. You must email the instructor to confirm your intent to visit his/her office hours and schedule a mutually agreeable time beforehand.
Academic Integrity
The instructors strictly do not tolerate any academic dishonesty. At the discretion of the instructor, examination proctor, or any other duly authorized personnel, the student will be subject to sanctions up to and including discharge from the program should the student be found responsible for violating any rule of academic integrity, including but not limited to: cheating on examinations; plagiarism and not properly citing sources; and collaboration on assignments that are meant to be completed individually.
Disclaimer
Academy of Medical & Public Health Services is an American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care Training Site and not a degree granting educational institution. This course/program is not taken for academic credit or for progress towards a degree, but is a survey experience for students.
Program Syllabus | 6 Course Organization & Outline
Session Class Topic Assignment Case Project Exam
MODULE I Public Health as an Art and a Science
Introduction Meet Team Members 01 | Public Health: Overview Read Syllabus Form Team Charter Case Project Time
Quantitative Research Methods Case Problem Defined 02 | People-Centered Problem Set I Research Methods Team Charter Due
Case Project Time
MODULE II Fundamentals of Clinical Practice
03 | Clinical Pharmacology Problem Set II
Medical & Trauma 04 | Problem Set III Midterm Report Emergencies
Exam I: 10am-11:30pm 05 | Physical Exam & Diagnosis Problem Set IV Pharmacology First Aid
MODULE III Clinical Cardiology
Cardiac Anatomy & Physiology 06 | Problem Set V Electrophysiology
Cardiac Pathophysiology 07 | Problem Set VI Electrocardiography
Cardiac Resuscitation 08 | Problem Set VII Final Presentation Project Presentation
MODULE IV Interdisciplinary Perspectives of Healthcare
Project Presentation Final Papers and 09 | Public Health: Healthcare Presentation Due Administration
Exam II: 10am-12pm Public Health: Health Law 10 | Problem Set VIII EKG & Public Policy BLS: CPR/AED
Program Syllabus | 7 Course Descriptions
MODULE I PUBLIC HEALTH AS AN ART AND A SCIENCE
The first half of the course introduces the idea of interdisciplinary practice of public health and medicine as both an art and science by covering public health principles and anthropological research as they interact with the larger healthcare landscape. In a world where therapeutic treatment has become dwarfed by the growing importance of biomedicine and the medicalization of the patient, this module will bring together the importance of seeing the patient as a social being in clinical practice.
Session 1 | Healthcare as a System: Medicine & Public Health
Medical care professionals rely on public health knowledge, people-centered research, and clinical practices to be effective healthcare providers. This module will provide you with a general understanding of public health and medicine as an integrative system.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand how public health, public policy and research (qualitative and quantitative) affect clinical decision-making
Session 2 | Healthcare as a System: Public Health & Research
This module will provide you with a general understanding of public health, quantitative research, and people-centered research as counterpoint and complementary to clinical skills training. It will combine lecture with off-site neighborhood observations and integrative case study to help you understand the core methodology in understanding how medicine interacts with the social and cultural landscape.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand how research is integrated into the broader fabric of public health and medicine 2. Learn core concepts in qualitative and quantitative research methodology
Program Syllabus | 8 MODULE II FUNDAMENTALS OF CLINICAL PRACTICE
This module introduces students to fundamental concepts underpinning the practice of medicine, including biochemistry, pharmacology, first aid, clinical diagnosis and spur-of- the-moment clinical decision-making in medical emergencies.
Session 3 Clinical Pharmacology
Understanding the use of pharmacological agents in medicine is important in attacking diagnosed conditions. In this session, you will learn the basics of different pharmacological agents in cardiovascular life support and basic ACLS drugs, usage, and dosages. Emphasis is placed on vasopressors and antiarrhythmic agents. Class of drugs, mechanisms of action, indications, contraindications, dosages, and other vital information are noted with great care for each drug covered.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand different methods of drug administration 2. Understand the mechanisms and role of each drug that is administered during cardiovascular emergencies 3. Learn to integrate basic drug pharmacology into ACLS algorithms
Session 4 | Medical & Trauma Emergencies: First Aid
This session covers the variety of medical and trauma injuries and illnesses and how to respond to these emergencies. A sampling of topics covered includes: soft tissue injuries, musculoskeletal injuries, environmental emergencies, poisonings, medical emergencies, and drug reactions. Skills covered include medication administration (auto-injectors for anaphylaxis), gauze and pressure bandages, sling and binders, and administration of body-substance isolation under OSHA standards.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the causes and drug/physical first aid treatments for various medical conditions and emergencies including rescuer duties, problem identification, and medical triaging 2. Learn how health administration standards are applied in public health
Session 5 | Physical Exam & Diagnosis
This session provides an overview of how to conduct and perform basic clinical skills, such as taking blood pressure, taking body mass-index measurements, reading clinical charts, performing checks for visual acuity and pupillary reflex, understanding basic clinical measurements and diagnostic methods.
Learning Objectives: 1. Understand basic clinical diagnostic methodology, including taking, reading, and interpreting measurements 2. Learn what different clinical measurements represent on a physiological level
Program Syllabus | 9
MODULE III CLINICAL CARDIOLOGY
The third module of the course covers an intensive survey of cardiac physiology and pathophysiology building off the fundamentals taught in the first half. From first developing an understanding of how the heart functions normally, we then discuss how cardiac illnesses arise. Focus will be on the clinical application of the means and methods by which modern medicine can intervene with cardiac conditions. A brief discussion of the physiological relationships with neurodegenerative disorders will be included if time permits.
Session 6 | Cardiac Anatomy, Physiology & Electrocardiography
This session teaches the concept and theory behind the lead II and 12-lead EKG. The electrical conduction system of the heart is stressed, and the knowledge of the structure and function of the heart is applied to abnormalities with the heart’s electrical activity. Analysis of how EKGs are related to heart function and structure is emphasized. A detailed cellular, molecular, and systems approach will be taken to understand cardiac electrophysiology.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the normal functioning of the heart and how cardiac conditions may develop from otherwise normal physiology 2. Understand the electrical physiology behind the “heart beat”
Session 7 | Cardiac Anatomy, Physiology & Electrocardiography
In this session, students will learn to recognize and interpret basic arrhythmias, including but not limited to: sinus bradycardia, sinus tachycardia, monomorphic and polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, first, second, and third degree heart blocks, asystole, premature atrial contractions, premature ventricular contractions, atrial fibrillation, and atrial flutter.
Learning Objectives:
1. Learn to recognize normal EKG rhythms 2. Learn to recognize basic abnormal EKG rhythms, and how to care for these arrhythmias 3. Develop patient assessment skills and learn how to integrate physiology and pathophysiology analysis with cardiac interventions
Program Syllabus | 10 Session 8 | Cardiovascular Resuscitation
This is a detailed, comprehensive, life support training designed to develop and hone CPR skills and techniques of using an automated external defibrillator (AED). Students will learn how to: recognize an emergency; stabilize and maintain stability of an emergency scene; perform a full initial assessment on a patient; perform rescue breathing, CPR, conscious and unconscious choking maneuvers; and use an AED. Care for adults, children, and infants are taught and emphasized equally. In addition, the use of more advanced medical equipment is taught in this course, certifying students to use or assist in the usage of face shields, resuscitation masks, and bag- valve masks in responding to an emergency.
Learning Objectives:
1. Develop life-saving CPR, AED and artificial respiration skills to effectively manage a full adult patient case without oversight or supervision 2. Develop life-saving CPR, AED and artificial respiration skills to effectively manage a full pediatric patient case without oversight or supervision
Program Syllabus | 11 MODULE IV INTERDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES OF HEALTHCARE
The final module of the course explores the intersection of public health, policy, and health law as it interacts with medicine. Healthcare is multilateral system that adapts to the changing socio-political environment. Healthcare leaders must be familiar with the organization of the healthcare system and the different legal, ethical, political, economic and sociological perspectives managing it in order to address health disparities and the social distribution of health and disease. In this module, we will first explore healthcare governance on a micro-scale level and subsequently explore healthcare law and policy on a macro-scale level.
Session 9 | Public Health: Healthcare Administration
This class is designed to study the different perspectives of management and public health administration in healthcare concepts. Topics covered will include: the use of evidence-based management in health care, how health services are governed and organized (particularly in hospitals and non-profit organizations), how to implement quality control in improving the safety, quality, access and system care delivery systems in healthcare organizations.
Learning Objectives:
1. Evaluate the governance, organizational and accountability structures of healthcare organizations. 2. Learn how principles of evidence-based management are applied to decision- making in a healthcare organization.
Session 10 | Public Health: Health Law and Policy
This session teaches case analysis and public health analysis from a legal framework and public policy viewpoint as a means of driving public health interventions. Students will learn to assess population and community health needs from a public service perspective. The class will also explore how policy and delivery processes work, and the demographic, cultural, political and regulatory factors involved in and influencing health policy and management decision-making.
Learning Objectives:
1. Learn to perform basic legal analyses within a healthcare setting. 2. Learn key provisions of healthcare reform. 3. Learn to apply analytical frameworks in analyzing real-life cases.
Program Syllabus | 12