BSHS Selectives 2023-2024
Selectives Type:  Basic Science

Selective Title
Research Opportunities in Rehabilitation Medicine (BSHS Credit)
Course Number
ORSU 4051
Prerequisites: Successful completion of all Year 3 requirements; must obtain approval of their proposed research by both course director and on-site faculty overseeing scholarly activities; C Form required prior to enrollment
Responsible Faculty Director:
Zbigniew Gugala, MD, PhD
Other Faculty:
Contact Information
zgugala@utmb.edu 409-747-5760 Coordinator: Bryanna Branch (blbranch@utmb.edu)
Periods Offered
1-7, 9-13 (excluding Period 11)
excluding holiday period 8
Maximum Enrollment
2

Learning Objectives
The goal of this selective is to give this student the opportunity to pursue a basic science scholarly project in an area related to stroke and rehabilitation medicine. Students will have the opportunity to communicate significant findings and results of their work by preparing a performing a power point presentation at the end of their project.

Describe the qualifications background and career goals or interests of students who would benefit from the course:
This course is specifically designed for students interested in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Description of course activities
The student will meet with the faculty mentor at the beginning of the selective and as needed to implement and complete the scholarly project. The scope of this scholarly project will be in the basic sciences, which are the foundation for the practice of physical medicine and rehabilitation: anatomy, physiology, neurology, etc. The student will be reviewing literature related to upper extremity tasks and reading about muscle physiology, kinesiology, and movement dysfunction after stroke in order to appropriately examine the needs and current trends in the evaluation of rehabilitation patients. From the students review, the student will design an original battery of 20 tasks to be performed on a patient who suffered a stroke who has a known functional limitation in the upper extremity. The patient will perform this battery of tasks, and the student will evaluate them and devise a rating scale to objectively quantify and study the individual components of these movements. By breaking these movements down into their individual components, the student will be able to relate the patients’ overall functional limitation with what they have learned about these component movements from the current literature and reading. The objective is for the student to gain the basic understanding about these trends of impaired components of movement in order to be able to design more focused rehabilitation for patients to improve overall function in their future career. A scholarly project of a composition of 20 upper extremity tasks, a rating scale to objectively analyze this data, a background informal literature review, outside reading, and power point presentation with appropriate references will serve as a written and oral summary of the student’s efforts.

Proposed time requirement (%) for the student activities per 40-hour week:
Activity Percent of Activity
Faculty contact time

20

Self-directed study

50

Data collection/analysis

30

Other

0


Method of student evaluation

Check all that apply - complete appropriate section(s) only:
1.  Grading
   
A. Please specify your grading criteria for outstanding performance:
  This course will be graded on a pass/fail basis, depending on the scholarly project and commitment to achievement shown by the student.

2.  Written Assignment (Homework, projects, notes, papers, abstracts, etc.)
A. Frequency of written assignment(s)
  Three written assignments.
B. Type and format of written assignment
  An informal literature review will be performed for the student to gain understanding of the various upper extremity tasks available in the field of rehabilitation medicine. This course also requires a composition of an original battery of 20 upper extremity tasks, broken down into their components movements. In addition, the student will be responsible to devise a separate rating scale to objectively quantify the patients movements and problems. The student must have a scholarly work to present at the end of this course that would be deemed suitable by on-site course director. The final written product should be at least 10 pages in length, not including references or figures.
C. Method of content selection (student-selected, assigned, relate to cases, etc.)
  Variable, based on type of scholarly work to be performed by student.

3.  Oral Presentation
  A. Frequency / duration of presentation(s)?
    One PowerPoint presentation.
  B. Type and format of presentation
    Student will present the findings of the scholarly work to faculty, residents, and others interested in the practice of physical medicine and rehabilitation.
  D. Assessment - Who assesses the student's presentation performance?
    Self-assessment   Peer assessment   Faculty assessment
  E. Method of content selection
    Student-selected topic   Assigned topic

4.  Professionalism
  What expectations do you have for the student to demonstrate participation in the elective (e.g. small group activities, seminars, thoughtful questions, providing resources, journal club, resident lecture attendance)?

The instructor will discuss principles of appropriate attribution and the referencing of literature with the student. The student is expected to understand and to adhere to the principle that all presented work must be solely the student’s own.

    The instructor will discuss principles of appropriate attribution and the referencing of literature with the student. The student is expected to understand and to adhere to the principle that all presented work must be solely the students own or be presented with appropriate references.

While time spent on this selective is mostly student directed, students are expected to communicate regularly with the on-site course director and UTMB course director as needed. Principles of research ethics must be absolutely adhered to throughout this selective.

5.  Other Modes of Evaluation
  Please explain below.
    None.