The Advanced Ambulatory Clerkship combines patient care experience in an outpatient primary care practice with additional experiences in the JH Bayview Geriatric Clinics, Memory Clinic, and Home Care visits. In their assigned outpatient primary care practice, students will work directly under the supervision of one (or more) preceptors in the field of General Internal Medicine or Family Practice. There is a curriculum of online modules that provides background in several topics that are relevant to primary and preventive care.  Each student learns fundamental broad topics necessary to assess and provide care for adult patients along the continuum of aging.

Prerequisites: Core Clerkship in Medicine and one additional Core Clerkship 

Course Goals

The clerkship is designed for 3^rd and 4^th year medical students to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to care for adult patients, to function effectively in the ambulatory care setting, and to learn about issues related to Geriatrics, disease prevention, chronic disease, and community health.

Learning Objectives   

1. Learn general approach to practice and acquire the knowledge necessary to recognize and manage common conditions which are treated in the ambulatory setting. 
2. Learn about monitoring and safety issues between clinic visits notably transitions of care. 
3. Understand roles of other members of the health care team and communicate across transitions. 
4. Evaluate undifferentiated illness in the outpatient setting and demonstrate ability to sequence a workup, select appropriate follow up, and communicate process with patients. 
5. Learn about referrals and consultations with other physicians, and coordinate care for patients. 
6. Build communication skills including health behavior change counseling, and inter-professional communication and collaboration. 

Other activities for students include:   

• Independent online learning:  Physician Education and Assessment Center (PEAC) modules. 
• Geriatric experiences:  home visits with Johns Hopkins Home Care group (RNs, Physical and Occupational Therapists and Social Workers/ Behavioral Health Specialists) and /or JHOME (Geriatricians and nurse practitioners who provide primary care for homebound patients), Geriatrics clinic with a variety of preceptors, Program for All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE), and/or Memory Clinic.
• Advocacy experience: spend one day with an organization learning how individuals and organizations are working to address health care issues, at the local, state, or national level. 

Time Commitment and Course Length

Duration: 4.5 weeks. The Advanced Ambulatory Clerkship is offered year round, half quarters and summer sessions.