Medical Student Electives

Goals

• Obtain understanding of indications and contraindications for common IR procedures.
• Gain knowledge of arterial and venous anatomy important to IR.
• Know how to perform pre-procedure evaluations for most common procedures.
• Know indications and contraindications to common procedures.
• Learn to perform basic vascular access procedures under direct supervision of an IR attending.
• Participate in post-procedure management issues on daily rounds.

Objectives

• Observe and assist in a wide variety of procedures.
• Attend IR conferences.
• Prepare and present a case observed during the rotation.
• Recite indications for common procedures.
• Experience pre-procedure evaluations and post-procedure rounding.

Methods of Instruction

Clinical:

Students are expected to observe and assist in IR procedures daily at Maine Medical Center. IR procedures at MMC are performed in the Section of Vascular & Interventional Radiology within the Department of Radiology on the Basement Level. The morning schedule begins at 7:30am, and usually ends between 5:00 – 5:30pm. The students will not have call responsibilities. Resident and faculty teaching will be performed throughout the day during the procedures.

Didactic:

• IR Morning Rounds:
  • 7:30am – 8:00am, M-F, in the MMC IR Reading Room, #B461.
• IR Mortality & Morbidity (M&M) Conference:
  • 7:00 – 8:00am, on the 4th Thursday of the month, in the MMC MRI Conference Room, #B582.
• MMC Liver Tumor Conference:
  • 7:00 – 8:00am, on the 2nd Wednesday & 4th Tuesday of the month, location varies (ask IR staff).

• Conferences are also presented to medical students rotating through Diagnostic Radiology (DR). If the IR medical student is not currently seeing patients, performing a procedure, or otherwise involved in the activities of the procedural team, they may attend these lectures with permission by the IR attending or resident. They may also attend daily DR resident conference at noon as time permits:
  • DR Medical Student Conference:
    • 8:00 – 8:30am, on M/W/F (Tu/W/F during the first week of the rotation), in the MMC MRI Conference Room, #B582.
  • DR Resident Conference:
    • 12:00 – 1:00pm, M-F, in the MMC MRI Conference Room, #B582.
    • 7:00 – 8:00am, M-F, in the MMC MRI Conference Room, #B582 (it is not anticipated that the IR medical student will be able to attend this conference because of IR Morning Rounds).

Student Responsibilities

• The medical student rotating through the IR elective is expected to be a part of the procedural team with graduated responsibilities as the elective progresses.
• Students are expected to attend 7:30am IR Morning Rounds, and to present that day’s cases if they are assigned.
• Students will work with residents to be assigned at least two patients per day. They will evaluate those patients’ charts, see those patients on the floor, and perform focused history & physical examinations. They will then present these patients to one of that day’s attendings, and go over the indications and contraindications of the procedure being performed. The attending will then provide feedback and teaching to the medical student regarding the case. Students are then expected to scrub in for that case later in the day:
  • The cases assigned each day will be determined by the residents and attendings to provide the most interesting, useful, and comprehensive exposure for the student.
• When available and based on student interest and knowledge level, the student will also accompany residents for evaluation of consults requested by inpatient teams. When appropriate, the student may also present these cases to the attendings, and discuss treatment and management decisions in collaboration with the resident.
• When not seeing patients or scrubbing into their assigned cases, students should choose a resident to follow throughout the day in order to observe additional procedures, discuss additional cases and patients, and get involved with basic procedures:
  • Students are not required but should attempt to place a central line under resident/attending supervision. This is dependent upon student involvement throughout the month and interest in IR.
• Students will also choose one patient or disease topic of interest and give a full presentation on this subject, to include a brief review of current literature, and description of expected clinical presentation, imaging findings, pathologic findings, treatment options, and expected results:
  • This presentation should be given from 8:00 – 9:00am on the 2nd or 4th Thursday of the month (whichever comes later in the rotation), in the MMC IR Reading Room, #B461.

Students

• Evaluations will be based on a system of “Honors”, “High Pass”, “Pass”, or “Unsatisfactory/Fail”, for the overall course. Criteria for Pass include:
  • Case presentation
  • Assistance in cases
  • Participation in patient care/rounds
  • Professionalism and enthusiasm
  • Satisfactory performance and demonstration of learning objectives
• Method(s) used for formal evaluation of student performance:
  
  • End of course/clerkship evaluation of student:
  • Residents and faculty will be sent an online evaluation via OASIS to evaluate the student.

Course/Residents/Faculty

• Students will be sent an online evaluation for the course and resident and faculty supervisors via OASIS:
  
  • Medical students must complete course/resident/faculty evaluations in order to receive a grade. The identity of individual students will not be shared with the course instructors.

Maine Medical Center is an academic affiliate of Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) in Boston, MA. After TUSM students have had a chance to select their fourth-year clerkships, final-year medical students from other AAMC-accredited schools may be scheduled for electives through the TUSM Registrar’s Office Visiting Student Program.

For inquiries, please contact:

Kimberly Murphy
Undergraduate Medical Education Program Coordinator
Maine Medical Center
22 Bramhall St.
Library Rm. #5327
Portland, ME 04102
207-662-7142
kcmurphy@mmc.org